Harry Malfoy
by Aroon
Summary: After an incident in Diagon Alley Mr. Malfoy got guardianship of Harry Potter. The first days don't go well. Will Harry find a family where he is welcomed? Warning: CP in the first chapters. (No slash!) If you don't like it, don't read it.
1. Out Of The Frying Pan

**Harry Malfoy**

This story may start a bit violently and the first two chapters contain corporal punishment in form of spankings but the main focus of this story is on Harry finding a family and a place where he finally belongs. Before Harry can find peace and love, though, misunderstandings need to be resloved.

 _ **Out Of The Frying Pan**_

They were just boys and boys sometimes fight with each other. It would be better not to do it in public places and it is never a good idea to hit someone whose father is very influential. Harry would have known this if someone had bothered to teach him manners. The Dursleys certainly didn't bother. They didn't want to be concerned with the troubles their nephew caused in the magical world. So it happened that Harry ended up in front of Mr. Malfoy who suddenly had the right to discipline the obviously under bred boy.

 _Flashback_

 _The people in Diagon Alley looked shocked. Had the boy-who-lived really hit the Malfoy heir in the open? They looked around waiting for Mr. Malfoy or the one, with whom Harry Potter lived, to appear and they didn't need to wait long. Mr. Malfoy pushed his way through the crowd to get to his son. He couldn't believe his eyes either. How dare Harry Potter make such a scene in a public place? Has nobody taught him how to behave in public?_

 _Finally he reached the two boys. He fixed Mr. Potter with an angry glare and then crouched down, to help his son up. Draco had tears in his eyes but he wasn't crying. He knew how to hold himself together in public. The pain was terrible though and he pressed his hands against his throbbing side of the face. Mr. Malfoy pulled out a handkerchief and transformed it into a cool-bag and gave it to his son._

 _Then he turned back at Mr. Potter. "Where is your aunt or uncle?"_

 _Harry was pale and his eyes wide with shock. It hadn't been his intention to hit Draco but it had felt really good. That was, until he noticed all the eyes that stared at him horrified._

" _I'm on my own, Sir," Harry replied._

 _Mr. Malfoy wasn't happy in the least. How irresponsible was that, to let a twelve year old boy roam around all by his own? "I have to tend to my son now but rest assured I will make sure that there are consequences of your behaviour today. Tell your relatives to expect my visit by tomorrow. They will learn about this one way or the other. Good day, Mr. Potter!"_

 _Harry felt an uncomfortable knot form in his stomach. Will Mr. Malfoy really visit him in Privet Drive No. 4? He was sure that his relatives wouldn't care what he had done but if Mr. Malfoy really would appear, then this will lead to a hiding. His relatives hated wizards to no end._

 _Mr. Malfoy did make his visit the next day but it turned out differently than he had expected._

Oxo

"Turn around, Mr. Potter," Mr. Malfoy's voice called out and Harry turned away from the corner he was standing in.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Erm… guess to get punished?" Harry mumbled. He was still in shock that the man had made good on his promise and come after him.

Mr. Malfoy stared hard at the boy. "Speak properly! You are here to get a well-deserved punishment in hopes to correct your abominable behaviour towards your fellow men."

At this, Harry frowned. Why did everyone believe it was entirely his fault? "Isn't my fault that Malf… erm… Draco is such a git," Harry replied stubbornly.

Mr. Malfoy looked livid. "Do you really think insulting my son in front of me is working to your favour?"

"No, I just want to say that Draco started it. I wouldn't have hit him, if he wouldn't have said all those awful things," Harry explained with a wildly pounding heart in his chest.

"We are not discussing the wrongdoings of my son. Rest assured I addressed Draco's misconduct accordingly. Right now we are discussing your wrongdoing. Are you aware that hitting Draco was wrong?"

Harry's frown deepened at that. He couldn't understand why Mr. Malfoy put up so much fuss. It was just one well-placed punch in the face. Dudley did much more with Harry and even without any reason behind his actions. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon never so much as scolded their son.

"Mr. Potter, I asked you a question and I require an answer. Do you realize that it was wrong to hit Draco?"

Defiantly, Harry crossed his arms, "No. Draco deserved what he got!"

Mr. Malfoy sighed, "Then, Harry, I fear I have to correct the way you are thinking. Come here, please."

Not understanding what was going on and completely unaware of what was going to happen next, the boy stepped closer to the man who sat himself down on an armless chair. Harry frowned confused.

"I don't know how your relatives tend to punish you but I believe in spankings and you, young man, are going to receive one," Mr. Malfoy explained while he took hold of Harry's left wrist. It was good he did, because as soon as Harry heard the word 'spanking' he tried to step back again.

"No. Lemmi go!" Harry started to panic all of a sudden and tried to get free, "You have no right to do that. You're not my father!"

"I can and I will," Lucius pointed out and pulled the struggling boy between his legs to grab Harry's other hand. Giving Harry's arms a light shake he commanded the child to listen. As the boy stopped his struggling he went on, "Your relatives made it more than clear that they do not wish to be concerned with your ill mannered behaviour. Right now my solicitor is working to transfer your guardianship over to me. As a distant relative, it is my right to claim guardianship of you, if your current guardians are proven unfit to raise you properly."

Harry paled as he learned this little piece of news. "You are going to be my guardian?" the boy asked shell shocked.

It wasn't that he would be sad to leave his relatives for good but the Malfoys? He felt like he was getting out of the frying pan into the fire.

"Indeed. We will discuss the details at a later date. Right now we will address your latest misdeed." With those words Mr. Malfoy pulled Harry over his knees.

Harry gasped as cold air suddenly hit the skin of his buttocks and thighs. As he realized that his trousers were pooling around his ankles and that his bum was bare, he tried to stand up again. Mr. Malfoy had trapped Harry with his left arm, holding the boy in place with an iron grip. Before Harry could increase his struggling, the first smack was delivered on his upturned bottom.

Harry stopped in his tracks and gasped at the burning sensation but then fought harder to get free.

"No! Lemmi go!" Harry cried hysterically and struggled for dear life, "Lemmi go! You cannot do that!"

"Harry, calm down," Mr. Malfoy' commanded loudly over the boy's screams and stopped the smacking. As the boy stopped his struggle he continued in a much calmer voice, "There is nothing you can do to prevent this punishment. If I have to pause right now you will go back into the corner and we will continue this discussion at a later point but rest assured you will get a spanking."

Mr. Malfoy waited until Harry's breathing got under control again, then he asked, "Ready to continue?"

Harry didn't answer immediately but he realised that there was no way out of this punishment and he had already been standing in that dreadful corner for an eternity, so he finally said in a very small voice, "o... okay."

At that, Mr. Malfoy renewed his hold on Harry, which the boy hadn't realized had loosened before. Then one smack followed the next until Harry's bottom felt as if it was flaming and the boy started to hiss.

"Why are you in this position?" Mr. Malfoy started his lecture.

Breathing harshly Harry answered, "Because I hit Draco."

"Correct. Why was it wrong to hit Draco?"

This time no answer followed. "Harry, why was it wrong?" Mr. Malfoy repeated in a very stern voice.

"Dunno," Harry shouted in frustration and a smack followed immediately. "Ow"

"Try again."

"Dudley never got punished when he and his friends hit me," Harry cried out. Although he knew perfectly well that hitting someone was not right, in this instance he found it extremely unfair how often Dudley had been able to hit him without following punishment and he, Harry, just once hit Draco and received the worst punishment ever.

"Are you trying to tell me, you think hitting someone is an appropriate behaviour?" Mr. Malfoy asked shocked by the boy's words.

Harry sighed. "No, but I don't understand what the big deal is."

Lucius frowned, he couldn't believe his ears. "The big deal, as you put it, is that you can not run around punching everyone who dares to say something you do not like to hear. If your cousin never got punished for his behaviour, than your relatives are more than proven unfit to raise you or any child in that matter," he explained.

"I don't punch everyone," Harry pointed out.

"Oh, so it is just Draco then?" Lucius concluded "And that's okay because…?"

Harry huffed, frustrated "It wasn't my intention but he got me angry and I…"

As the boy's voice trailed off, Lucius continued for him, "… you lost control?"

"Yes," Harry admitted meekly.

"And if it would have been someone else, you would have been able to restrain your anger?" Lucius wondered.

No reply followed and silence hung between the two for a while.

"Harry?"

"I don't know," Harry whispered defeated.

Realizing that he was slowly getting through Lucius asked, "Do you want people to think that you can not control yourself?"

"No," Harry said in the same whispering tone.

"Do you believe people will think that you can't control yourself after your display at Diagon Alley?"

Harry sighed and answered "They may."

"Indeed," Lucius was pleased to hear but then he repeated his earlier question, "So was it okay to hit Draco?"

"No. I'm sorry," Harry answered abjectly.

"Hmm… I'm not convinced, Harry. First you said Draco earned this punch, now you tell me you are sorry?" Lucius reminded.

Harry frowned. He wished the man would stop talking and get on with the punishment. This all was so unfair. Draco had been so nasty with his words. Harry was sure everybody in his place would have lost his temper with the git. Laying over Mr. Malfoy's lap however, made Harry rethink what he had done was indeed wrong.

"Draco did earn this punch," he pointed out but then continued defeated, "but it wasn't right to punch him in public. I should have had more self-control and maybe I shouldn't have punched him at all. It's a sign of weakness. I don't want to look weak."

Lucius was aware that this was the best he could get from the boy. "Good Harry. Maybe there is hope. Let us finish with this lecture."

Harry gasped as Mr. Malfoy continued to smack Harry's already smarting behind and soon the boy started to sob as the pain got nearly unbearable. All Harry wanted now was the end of this punishment and so he tried everything he thought Mr. Malfoy wanted to hear.

"I'm… ow… sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I will not… punch Draco again… ouch… I swear!" Harry wailed.

"Don't give me your word, if you can't keep your promise. Rest assured as my ward you will land yourself over my knee more often. Let's hope it will not be too soon." With these words Mr. Malfoy ended his lecture with an almighty smack to Harry's sensitive sit spot and then pulled the boy up and corrected his clothing with a flick of his wand.

Then he opened his arms but Harry just stared at him in confusion. Mr. Malfoy stood up and then wrapped his arms around the distraught child. "You are forgiven, Harry."

"F… for…given?" Harry asked bewildered trying to pull out of the embrace.

"Yes, forgiven, child. I think you learned your lesson and will think the next time before you act like a hooligan, will you not?" Mr. Malfoy asked without loosening his arms around the boy.

Harry nodded, still not understanding what was going on. He felt really horrible and drained, his bottom was stinging, he couldn't stop his tears and on top of that Mr. Malfoy was hugging him. Never before had he received a hug after getting punished. Wasn't Mr. Malfoy angry at him any longer? The Dursleys never forgave him that soon after punishment.

-oxo-

"I don't want him as my brother!" Draco yelled shell-shocked at the dinner table as he learned that his father had guardianship over his least favourite fellow student.

Harry ducked his head.

"Draco!" Lucius warned his son. "Calm down or we will discuss this in my study."

Draco shut his mouth immediately knowing exactly how such a discussion would go but he still glared at Harry. When he thought his father wouldn't notice he whispered to Harry. "This is _my_ Dad. Do you hear me? You are just an unwanted little freak, who-"

Harry paled at that and his fork clattered nosily back into his plate. He had hoped the word 'freak' would not follow him from the Dursleys to the Malfoys but obviously he was wrong. Will he really always be the freak?

"DRACO! That's enough. Come with me," Mr. Malfoy growled at his son.

At this, Draco's eyes grew wide. "No, Dad, please. I'm sorry. I won't say anything else."

Mr. Malfoy glared, "I warned you before, Draco. I will not tolerate your behaviour. If you can't listen I will make sure you do in the future."

"No, please," Draco pleaded, tears already glittering in his eyes.

Harry watched horrified as Lucius took his son at the upper arm and dragged him away. Till now he wasn't sure if Draco got the same harsh treatment as Harry got after the incident in Diagon Alley. Now all doubts vanished.

Left alone at the dining table, Harry felt so out of place. Just yesterday his life was normal. At least as normal as his life could be with hiding from Dudley or running away for a day to escape his uncle and aunt, like he did with his run-in with Draco.

This morning though, his life took a new turn. He still couldn't believe that Malfoy suddenly turned up at his relatives to discuss his misbehaviour in Diagon Alley with his aunt, who wasn't interested in the least.

"What the freak does in this Freak Alley is not my problem," she had hissed at the man.

Mr. Malfoy had been furious with Aunt Petunia but as she had said that he could deal with Harry as he saw fit, the man had not hesitated in taking Harry with him, away from these horrible Muggles. Harry hadn't been aware that he would never go back to the Dursleys at that time. Lucius had placed him into a corner in his study and left him there for a while.

Now Harry knew that he obviously had been contacting his solicitor to transfer the guardianship over to the Malfoys. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had a great influence when just a few hours later everything was settled.

Harry shifted uncomfortably on his seat. His backside was still reminding him on what happened earlier in Mr. Malfoy's study.

-xoxox-

Trying his best to avoid the same situation he had with Dudley, Harry hoped to gain Draco's acceptance somehow. Therefore he played along as Draco accidentally destroyed one of the vases in the corridor and denied it afterwards. Harry didn't consider that if Draco wasn't the culprit it would have to be him but he didn't back out either and so he took the blame for it.

He wasn't prepared however how extreme Mr. Malfoy's reaction would be. Obviously it was a very expensive vase, because the man was excessively furious with Harry.

Thinking Harry did it to rebel against his new living arrangements Mr. Malfoy didn't go easy on the boy. He dragged the assumed culprit into his study, not releasing his arm until the door was closed behind them.

"I told you that nobody is allowed to run inside the house or play in the halls, didn't I? Do you think you are above my house rules?" he yelled.

"No, Sir," Harry whispered shocked about the amount of venom in Mr. Malfoy's voice.

"Then why did you do it?" Lucius demanded to know, but Harry kept silent. He didn't want to lie to Mr. Malfoy but he also couldn't tell the truth and betray Draco if he wanted to get on Draco's good side.

Misunderstanding the boy's silence Mr. Malfoy growled angrily "Stubborn again? This is going to change immediately, come here!"

Realizing what was going to happen Harry lost all colour in his face. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. "I… I can pay for the vase," he tried to talk himself out of trouble.

Lucius shook his head. "This is not about money, Harry. I want you to behave and abide by the rules. Something your relatives obviously didn't bother to teach you. Now come here, lower your trousers and bend over."

Harry was horrified. Last time Lucius spelled Harry's trousers down. Having to do it on his own as if he would agree with this punishment was much more embarrassing. Harry's hands trembled as he loosened the button of his trousers and pushed them down to his knees. Still in his boxers Harry bent over the waiting lap.

With a quick movement, Harry's boxers were down, too, and the first smack was delivered. Harry gasped. He had forgotten how much exactly Lucius' hand can hurt, specially so soon after his last spanking.

After a few smacks Lucius paused and asked, "Why are you in this position?"

Harry sniffed but stayed silent, which earned him an extra hard smack.

Lucius glared at the back of Harry's head and repeated his question. "Why are you in this position, Harry?"

"M'sorry," Harry whispered in tears.

Not at all satisfied Lucius pointed out, "I still expect an answer!"

"M'sorry, Sir," Harry said again receiving another extra smack which caused Harry to yelp.

Lucius waited but as it seemed the boy was not going not say more he was furious again. "Why. are. you. in. this. position?" he asked and delivered hard smacks with every word right to Harry's sensitive sit spot but instead of an answer as Lucius had hoped to get out of the boy deep heartbroken sobs suddenly shook Harry's body.

Lucius stopped frowning to himself. He hadn't expected that Harry would stay stubborn in this position. Last time Harry had fought with him but at least he had spoken until in the end he had realised and admitted his mistake. So what was different this time? Why couldn't the boy just say what he had done? Taking in the redness of the boy's bottom he knew it was already burning unbearably.

Finally he pulled the boy up as it seemed Harry couldn't calm down again. If Harry was just stubborn, why did he look so heartbroken and lost? The man wondered.

To say the man was at his wit's end was an understatement. "Harry, calm down. Surely you understand why I had to punish you?"

"It… It's just a… a vase. I don't... don't understand why it's… I… I can… repair it… M…muggle way… if you want," Harry said between his sobs.

"I don't care about the vase. I care about the rules I put in place," Lucius explained.

"It was an accident," Harry sniffed.

"Because you were running?" Lucius tried again.

"I forgot... I'm sorry... I will not run again," the boy finally stuttered in his fear.

Lucius sighed but finally nodded. "Good, we will end this discussion for now. See that you don't break the rules again. You may dress yourself."

"Yes, Sir," Harry whispered and pulled his boxers and trousers up again, hissing as the fabric scratched over the abused skin. Then he stood with a bent head and waited to be dismissed.

Lucius studied Harry for a long time unsure what to do with this boy but Harry really looked lost. Lucius knew that Draco is still not ready to accept Harry in this family so he finally opened his arms.

With sad eyes Harry looked up, confusion written all over his face.

"Come here," Lucius encouraged the boy in a soft voice that stood in complete contrast to his earlier yelling.

Harry stepped closer but stiffened as Lucius pulled him into a hug.

"I know you are not my son but I really wish you to become family." With these words new tears started to fall.

"What's the matter, Harry? Is the thought to belonging to the Malfoy's that intolerably to you?" Lucius asked somewhat hurt but Harry was unable to talk. He just stood there and cried.

As Harry finally calmed down he was half asleep. Lucius walked him to his room and helped him into his bed. Harry fell asleep immediately but Lucius stood at Harry's bed for a long while, still not understanding what to think of Harry's odd behaviour.

As he finally left Harry, he floo called a friend of his.

-oxo-

Draco saw his big chance to get free of the unwanted brother. Believing, if Harry was too much trouble his father would get rid of him, he brought Harry more often into trouble within the following week. Draco had no idea why Harry was so ready to take the blame of all the "incidents" but he didn't mind in the least.

Lucius didn't know what to do with Harry. On one hand, the boy admitted his misdeeds more or less; on the other hand Lucius got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. He had given the boy at least three more spankings for things he just couldn't let go unpunished and every time the feeling, that something was wrong, grew.

Harry never looked guilt-stricken. He apologized for all the incidents but there was no regret in his eyes; there was sadness and loneliness. Because of that Lucius couldn't explain why Harry broke the rules all the time. If the boy wanted to be accepted, he just had to abide to the rules. Why was that so difficult? His rules weren't that hard to follow.

oxoxoxo

One morning at breakfast, Lucius realized he couldn't ignore Harry's changes any longer. The boy's green eyes had lost its vitality. Harry spent most of his time out of sight of everybody and whenever he walked into Harry's room, the boy was sitting on his bed reading, or staring into space. Coming to think about it he wondered when Harry had the time to pull all these pranks if he never left his room except for the meals. Sighing he glanced at his son and was shocked.

Draco seemed to be very happy about something and he was casting gleaming smirks at Harry every now and then. Lucius frowned as an idea struck him. That couldn't be, could it?

The idea was so horrible that Lucius called his friend to talk with him about his conjecture.

oxo

"Harry, have you been in the kitchen and did you take all the stirrers?" Lucius asked as he strode into Harry's room.

Harry sat cross-legged on his bed with a book in his lab but not really reading it. As the boy looked up, fear crossed his features before it was replaced with silent acceptance for whatever may follow.

"I'm sorry, Sir," came the standard reply from Harry.

"That doesn't answer my question. Did you do it?" Lucius went on watching the boy more closely.

With his eyes downcast Harry said, "It was just a prank."

Lucius realized that Harry hadn't really admitted that it was him but was ready to take the blame.

"A prank indeed," Lucius growled, "Come with me. We will go into my study."

Harry froze for a moment before he put the book back onto the bedside table with trembling hands. Lucius sighed as he watched the boy but then he lead the way to his study. As he held the door open to Harry he saw this lost look in the boy's eyes again.

"Sit down, Harry. We need to talk," Lucius said and sat by his desk.

"I'm sorry, Sir." Harry said automatically taking the place in-front of Mr. Malfoy's desk.

"And what are you sorry for?" Lucius wondered.

Harry looked up with a panicky face. He had forgotten what his reputed misdeed had been this time. He gulped and then answered generally "For causing trouble."

Lucius shook his head sadly. What kind of confession was that? Obviously Harry didn't even know what he was supposed to have done. Sighing the man frowned and asked "Then why don't you stop with the misbehaviour?"

Silence followed. Harry had hung his head again and was playing nervously with his fingers. It's hard to stop something you had no control over. Although Draco never showed any signs that he was impressed with Harry's bravery, Harry was still not giving up his hope with the blond boy.

"Shall I take a guess, Harry?" Lucius finally asked, fixing the boy with a stern look.

Harry gulped again and then glanced up at the man.

"I believe you cannot stop causing trouble, because you never started it."

Startled Harry stared at Mr. Malfoy. "But it was my fault," he tried to convince the man.

Lucius shook his head once more. "No, Harry. I don't think so. You never look conscience-stricken to me. Today you even showed fear."

"But it was me. I'm sorry, really. I shouldn't have...," Harry trailed off, still not remembering what his misdeed should have been.

"You shouldn't have... what? Do you even know what you are accused of?" Lucius said angrily still not understanding Harry's behaviour.

"I shouldn't have played that prank. It wasn't a good idea," Harry tried once more.

Massaging his forehead Lucius tried to calm himself down. Why was the boy so stubborn? Dead silence followed the next minutes until Lucius said in a low voice, "You are right. It wouldn't have been a good idea if someone would have played that prank."

At that, Harry frowned.

"Yes, you heard right," Lucius confirmed, "There is an 'if' because nobody took all the stirrers. I made that up to prove a theory."

At this, Harry's eyes grew wide. Horror-stricken he whispered, "What theory?"

"That you are trying to make me believe that you misbehaved. That you are taking the blame of crimes you never did. I don't understand though, why you are doing it? Did you hope I would let you return to your relatives?"

"No," Harry whispered and looked so pale that Lucius feared the boy would faint. "No. I don't want to go back to the Dursleys."

"Then why did you do this?" Lucius asked desperate to understand the boy's reasons. But Harry hung his head and stayed silent again. Never before had Lucius felt so clueless. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he wondered how he could make Harry speak up.

"You... you are not going to spank Draco, are you?" Harry's soft voice suddenly cut through the silence.

Taken aback Lucius looked up again. Then he snorted. "Oh, I will. He will be lucky if he can sit at all tomorrow."

"No, Mr. Malfoy, please don't," Harry begged suddenly, taking Lucius by surprise.

Was that the reason why Harry took the blame? Lucius wondered. "Harry, are you protecting my son? He did nothing to earn your protection. He disappointed and hurt me a lot and it was cruel of him to let me punish you instead of him."

Harry shook his head. "But he is your son. I'm just a freak. I'm the one who disturbs this family. I don't belong here. I don't deserve a family, I'm just trouble."

"Who told you such nonsense?" Lucius asked shocked "Of course you deserve a family. You are definitely not a freak. You are a child. A normal magical child. Obviously someone made a grave mistake by placing you with these horrible muggles. Did they tell you all this nonsense?"

Blinking back tears, Harry wanted to defend his relatives but his voice didn't work anymore.

Lucius looked sad while he watched the child struggling against the tears. Then suddenly realisation hit him and he felt incredibility guilty. What had he done? He had spanked the boy needlessly. "I can't describe how sorry I am that I treated you so horribly. If only I had known sooner that Draco stage-managed all this. I punished you so hard because I thought you were rebelling against me."

Finally the tears started to fall on Harry's face. Lucius stood, walked around the desk and then pulled the distraught boy into a hug. He felt Harry stiffen and Lucius cringed and let go of the boy again. What had he done? Instead he took Harry's hands into his.

"Will you ever trust me after what I did to you?" He wondered aloud, "Will you ever forgive me?"

Harry didn't answer. He wasn't sure if he had the right to blame Mr. Malfoy for his actions. The man just did, what he thought was right. Mr. Malfoy had no way to know that it was Draco all the time. On the other hand Harry couldn't say if he would trust this stern man ever. He never learned to trust anybody and least of all adults.

After some time Lucius said, "Harry? I really hate the idea to push you away. Especially after all these misunderstandings but I would like to have a day or two with my son to correct his ill behaviour and I don't wish you near Draco until I'm through with him. Would it be okay for you to stay with a good friend of mine?"

Harry wiped away his tears and looked up in puzzlement.

"You don't have to if you don't want to but I cannot predict how my son will react to this correction in behaviour and I would hate to see you come to any more harm," Lucius explained.

Harry nodded and tried to smile. "To… to what friend?"

"Severus Snape."

At that, Harry paled again. Didn't Mr. Malfoy know how much the potion master hated Harry? Or was that a kind of punishment for all his lying?

Lucius saw Harry losing all his colour and remembered suddenly Harry's and Severus' relationship in school and what Harry must be thinking. "Harry. I swear, he will treat you well. He knows already what has happened."

"He hates me," Harry whispered with fresh tears in his eyes.

At that Lucius hugged Harry again. "No, he doesn't, I swear. And I will come over and put you to bed if you wish, okay?"

Lucius held the boy until the tremors ceased a bit.

"Okay," Harry whispered finally giving in to his fate. If Lucius wanted him to go, who was he to deny him his wish? It's not that he belonged here anyway.

Lucius cringed at the defeated tone of voice of the boy, "I'm so sorry for what I put you through. I really hope after all this we all can become family. I already love you, Harry, I really do."

Harry didn't know what to answer nor what to believe. Nobody ever loved him since his parents died.


	2. Snape

AN: First of all, thank you for all your awesome reviews. I'm flattered. I guess that's my personal record for just one chapter. Some of you asked me about Narcissa. Please have patience, I will explain her absence in an other chapter. And of course I want to thank my beta reader Jasper's Mom.

 _ **Snape**_

Harry sat in a Muggle kitchen and watched Professor Snape preparing dinner. He would like to help but he wasn't sure if the professor would appreciate it. So instead he just sat by the table and watched the man cut vegetables with the same accurateness he would use for potion ingredients, feeling completely out of place.

Professor Snape hadn't said much as Lucius had sent Harry over. He had shown Harry the room, where he would stay for the time being and then had left Harry to get comfortable.

"If you want to help, you could set the table," Professor Snape suddenly said.

Harry jerked at being suddenly addressed but then he nodded and stood up. Severus pointed to one of the cupboards to his left and as Harry opened it he found plates and glasses. Dutifully he did what he was asked to. He also found a jug, filled it with water and set it on the table. The silverware was in a drawer right under the cupboard with the dishes.

"Do you like orange juice?" Professor Snape asked as Harry was ready with setting the table but the boy just shrugged a shoulder.

"I have some fresh oranges. You just need to squeeze them," Severus explained and at Harry's questioning look he said, "Wait a moment. I have a squeezer somewhere."

The squeezer was in one of the upper cupboards, where even Severus had to stretch his body to get it down. "Here you are. Be careful with the knife. Lucius will kill me, if I let you come to any harm."

Harry worriedly looked up.

Severus sighed inwardly. "No. You are no bother, if you fear that. If you had to know; it was my idea to let you stay with me until Draco learns his lesson. I'm sorry I treated you badly in classes. I never had guessed that you are a victim of abuse."

This time Harry frowned, clearly trying to deny that he had been abused.

"You have been abused at one point or the other," Severus pointed out but then said, "We will discuss this at a later date!" ' _When you start talking again_ ,' Severus thought to himself. Harry hadn't said a single word since he arrived and Severus wasn't surprised. Lucius unintentionally also abused Harry and although the boy didn't seemed to hold it against the man it still must have left wounds in his soul.

-oxo-

The dinner was delicious and Harry helped Severus by washing the dishes afterwards but then the boy vanished into his room and never came out again. As Lucius flooed over in the evening he asked Severus how Harry had been.

"I'm not sure. He hasn't said a single word. I checked on him a few minutes ago. He has fallen asleep but even in his sleep he looked troubled," Severus said concerned.

Lucius shook his head with a sigh and sat down opposite of his friend. "I'm worried. I'm starting to wonder if it was the wrong decision to take him away from his relatives. Obviously I did an even worse job than they."

"Absolutely not. This whole mess arose because of his abuse by his relatives. His low self-esteem must have a reason. He will need time to get adjusted to the new living arrangements. It would help a lot of course, if Draco would accept him as a brother."

"I still don't get why he protected my son, if Draco was nothing but hostile to him," Lucius shook his head.

"Who knows. Maybe he thought it was expected from him. He grew up with his cousin. You told me a few days ago that said cousin obviously was allowed to punch him without any consequences. We can only guess what else his aunt and uncle did to him and in what way the boy is damaged."

After a silent moment Severus went on. "As it seems Harry is being a very helpful young man. He helped me by setting the table for dinner without making a face and did the dishes afterwards as if it would be a matter of course. He is quite the opposite of what we first thought about him. I am starting to wonder if maybe Draco really earned this punch in the face. Harry clearly is very far away of being a hooligan. I really wonder what happened that day in Diagon Alley."

"And I spanked him," Lucius said conscience-stricken.

"Well, you didn't know him then. You did what you thought was right. If Harry had been in Slytherin and acted in such a manner in my classroom, I would have considered spanking him, too. This behaviour is not a way to solve problems."

"But then I spanked him for Draco's misdeeds. I know he doesn't hold it against me but seeing how much he is hurting now, makes me feel really guilty."

"What's done is done. You should focus on Draco now and leave Harry to me."

Lucius sighed. Now that he know how much he had hurt Harry he wished he could hug him and never let him out of his arms again until he had made it up to him but he also knew Harry wouldn't like to be hugged by him right now. "Do you think Harry will get over it?"

Severus shook his head, "Just time can say for sure."

Oxo

"Good morning, Harry!" Severus greeted the boy the next day as said boy entered the kitchen.

"G'morning," whispered Harry nearly soundlessly but Severus heard it nonetheless.

"How are you feeling?"

This time Harry just shrugged a shoulder. He felt completely empty inside. He was convinced, now more than ever, that there was no place where he really belonged. He felt like the freak his relatives always pointed out that he was.

"Take a seat. Breakfast is ready," Severus said and pointed to the kitchen table in an inviting gesture.

"Thank you, Sir" Harry finally said.

"You are welcome."

At these words Harry froze in his movements for a moment. Was he now? He never had the impression that he was welcomed in Snape's presence.

Severus watched the frowning boy and sighed inwardly. He really wished he had known about Harry's living conditions before. He was ashamed of himself that an old grudge made him so blind and caused him to verbally abuse the boy during the school year. It would be hard for him to earn Harry's trust, or so he thought.

"Do you feel ready to talk a bit?" Severus asked after the breakfast.

Harry looked up from his spot at the table he had stared for a while. "Talk? About what?" he asked in a low voice.

"About what happened at the Malfoys," Severus explained while he waved his wand and banished the empty plates towards the sink.

"Nothing happened," Harry answered automatically.

Severus arched an eyebrow, "I beg to differ."

At that Harry shrugged a shoulder and said, "I was bad. Mr. Malfoy just did what he believed was right."

"Bad? In what way have you been bad?" Severus asked in a gentle voice.

"I…" Harry started while looking down at his hands, "I lied to Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, that you did. The question is _why_?" Severus steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on the tabletop.

Harry shivered and wrapped his arms around his body. To explain that, he would have to talk about his relatives and that was the last thing he wanted to speak about right now. Instead he answered, "I didn't want Draco getting into trouble with his father."

Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. _Well boy, that much I could guess on my own._ "What did you hope to gather with this behaviour?"

Harry frowned at this question. Wasn't it obvious? Angrily he jumped out of his seat and shouted, "Draco did these things because he doesn't want me as a brother and I don't belong to the Malfoys. I'm just disturbing their family. I'm just a bother."

Severus arched an eyebrow at that outburst. Obviously he had struck a nerve. Patiently he waited until Harry sat down again with a whispered 'sorry'. Then the man asked in the same gentle voice, "If you are really just a bother, why do you believe Mr. Malfoy took guardianship of you?"

Harry was quiet for a very long time. He wished his professor would stop this questioning. What other reasons could Mr. Malfoy have beside the power he now gained over Harry? The only reason the man came after him was to punish him. He wanted revenge and he got it, but clearly he cannot say that to Professor Snape so he finally answered, "I don't know."

Severus wasn't convinced however. "I think you may have an idea of Mr. Malfoy's reasons, don't you?"

Harry looked at Severus with wide eyes, debating with himself if he should voice his belief or not. Severus watched the boy and waited.

"To be able to punish me," the boy said eventually while looking down again.

"Yes, it does look an awful lot like that, doesn't it? And I'm sure as he went to your home a week ago, he intended to see to it, that you get a proper punishment for your behaviour in Diagon Alley. However he wasn't prepared to find your relatives so disinterested and he definitely wasn't prepared to find himself in the position to deal out your punishment himself. It came to him as a shock. He contacted me and he told me what happened at your relatives. We both realised that you were at least neglected by them. He lost no time arranging to get guardianship of you, because he was concerned for you. He cares for you, Harry."

Harry looked at Severus in disbelief and the man knew there was nothing he could do to make Harry believe him.

"Another question: How do you feel about Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry paled. Nervously he bit his lip with a pained expression. How was he supposed to answer this question? "I don't know," he said once more.

"Just give it a try. Nobody will harm you or punish you for your opinion," Severus encouraged the boy.

"I'm confused about Mr. Malfoy," Harry admitted eventually.

Severus nodded to himself. Confusion was the least he expected but he wanted to give Harry the time to clear his thoughts, so he asked in a gentle voice, "Can you explain in what way?"

Harry wrapped his arms around himself and stared a hole into the table in-front of him while he answered, "Sometimes he acts like he would want me, at least he says so but he is very harsh in his treatment of me. I mean, I understand that if I had done all the things, it would have been his right to punish me but… while he was punishing me it felt like he would hate me. I mean, who wouldn't hate such a troublemaker like me? I have no problem with hate, I am familiar with that. My relatives hate me, too... But Mr. Malfoy he... after the punishment he… he hugged me and said I'm forgiven and wanted in the family but I don't _feel_ like I would be wanted. I know that nobody likes a freak like me. He confuses me... how can he like someone like me?"

A heavy silence hung between Harry and Severus after these words. Severus was shocked speechless. This boy in-front of him clearly was not just neglected but heavily abused, at least verbally.

It took him some time before he found his voice again. "I hope you realise one day, that you are no freak at all. Of course Lucius likes you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have taken guardianship of you."

"But that was before he realised how much trouble I am. Now he is stuck with me."

"Stuck with you?" Severus repeated disbelievingly, "Harry, Lucius isn't stuck, at least not in the legal sense. If he is stuck then it is because he has grown fond of you and doesn't know what to do. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to be part of the family. So the question is what do _you_ want? How do you feel about the idea of living with the Malfoys? Is it completely unthinkable for you to feel at home there?"

Harry was shocked to hear that. Could he really believe his professor? He sat unmoving, still staring at the point on the table.

Severus studied the boy in front of him. He was surprised that Harry had revealed so much about himself so far. The potion master had thought that the boy would be more stubborn and uncooperative. It was one more proof of how little he had known about the young Gryffindor.

After some time Harry did give his answer. "It would be really nice to belong to somewhere," he whispered and then looked up at Snape again. "But… I don't want to be a bother. Draco doesn't like me and he is not used to sharing his dad. I don't want to take his dad away."

The lost look in Harry's face made it more than clear how love starved the boy was.

"You are no bother, Harry," Severus pointed out, having a hard time keeping his voice strong. Never before had he been that appalled about a situation. "After all I have learned about you in the last few days and especially since your stay with me, I believe you cannot be a bother even if you try to be one. You are just a very unlucky young man when it comes to your guardians. While the Dursleys abused you intentionally and probably told you that you will never have a loving family, Mr. Malfoy was just strongly misinformed. He really cares about you but he doesn't know you and therefore made a grave mistake in his treatment of you. And Draco… he has wished for a brother all his life. I'm sure if he gets to know the real Harry he will welcome you, too."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, "Draco has always treated me horrible since I started Hogwarts. I can't imagine that he will ever see me as a brother or like me in any way. He seems to really hate me."

"What if Draco asked you to give him second chance?" Severus asked, "Do you think you could give him one?"

Again Harry took his time until he answered, "It's not only me Draco hates. He also hates Ron and Hermione. As long as he just sees them as a mudblood and a bloodtraitor I'm not sure it would work. I personally don't hate Draco. I would love to give him a chance but he hurts me and my friends with his words whenever we meet each other."

"Was that the reason you punched him in Diagon Alley?"

Harry's eyes suddenly darken drastically. With an angry look the boy turned away from the man.

Still with that uncharacteristically soft voice Severus asked, "What happened? Would you tell me?"

Harry once again didn't answer immediately but he also didn't deny the question so Severus waited curiously.

Sighing Harry finally told, "We ran into each other as I left the Quidditch store. We both weren't looking where we were going. I apologized and hoped he would just continue on his way but of course I had no such luck. Then he started to insult me."

Harry didn't go into any details but, knowing Draco, Severus could imagine that the blond-haired boy chose his words well to get to Harry's nerves.

"I see," Severus said. "Just ignoring him and walking away was no option to you?"

Harry looked uncomfortable now. "I tried," he whispered, "I had my back to him already but he still wouldn't shut up. When he started to insult my friends and made fun of my parents, something in me snapped and I lost control."

Severus nodded in understanding, "I know my godson is very skilled with words and I do not agree with his misuse of his ability. He really should know better. I hope though, you also know that it was still no excuse to punch him."

"I know, Sir" Harry said crestfallen.

After some thinking Severus offered, "If you want, I can teach you some methods how to keep calm when being threatened with words. It may be useful in the future. I'm sure you are aware that you cannot run wild like any other boy. You are closely watched by the whole wizarding community."

Harry shivered at that. He hated his fame to no end. For ten years he was a nobody, expected to keep his head down and stay invisible. Now that was impossible because of his fame. Now everybody expected nothing but the best behaviour of him. He cannot even pick his nose without the public's notice.

Crossing his arms again and frowning deeply Harry confessed "I hate this fame. I never asked for it."

Severus considered Harry with a sympathetic look and wondered once again how he could have been so wrong about the boy. Then he answered, "There is nothing you can do about that, no matter what. With the Malfoys on your side though, I guess it would get better. Nobody wants to mess up with a Malfoy. They are _very_ influential."

Harry sighed and then silence hung between him and Severus again. That is, until suddenly the fireplace flared and a voice called out. "Severus?"

It was Mr. Malfoy. Severus stood and went into the living room to answer the call. "Lucius, what can I do for you."

"Draco has something to say to Harry. Do you think Harry is ready to listen to him?"

"I will ask him," Severus said and was about to go back to the kitchen but then he spotted Harry leaning on the door frame, his hands still wrapped tightly around his torso. They locked eyes and Harry shrugged a shoulder.

"We can try. Will you come over?" Severus asked.

"Yes, that's what I had in mind," Lucius answered.

Once again Severus looked at Harry. The boy had taken a step closer now and nodded once. Severus gave room for Lucius and Draco to step through and stood next to Harry. He wanted to place an arm around the small shoulders but he was not sure if it would be appreciated so he let it be.

"Harry!" Lucius greeted the green-eyed boy and gave him a tight hug, forgetting himself in his own excitement. Harry stiffened immediately and as soon as Lucius realised his mistake he let go of the boy, "How are you doing?"

"Fine" Harry whispered, angry with himself for his reaction to Lucius' show of affection.

Lucius nodded to himself while stepping back and trying hard to hide his hurt. At Lucius' move Harry's eyes fell on Draco. The blond-haired boy looked as uncomfortable as Harry felt.

Nervously Draco glanced towards Harry. It was hard enough for him that he was expected to apologize but it was a lot harder to do it with his Dad and Godfather around. Draco was aware that there was no chance that he could ask to speak with Harry in private; still he wished the two adults would let them alone.

Harry seemed to read his mind because he looked up asking Severus silently for more room.

"You are sure?" Severus asked and Harry jerked his head in a nod.

"Very well, we will be in the kitchen if you need us." With that Severus and Lucius left the boys on their own.

"Thank you," Draco whispered.

Harry just inclined his head, not saying a word. Draco rubbed his right hand against his left arm in a manner to warm himself a bit while he nervously licked over his lip. "Well... erm... I wanted to apologize to you. I was brat," the blond stuttered.

Harry didn't look impressed.

"Look. I didn't really think about why my father would want to adopt you, of all people. In my eyes you had all the fame I always wished for. It never crossed my mind that your relatives would be anything but thrilled to have you. Therefore I didn't understand why you would try and take my dad away. I thought you just wanted our name to get the same influence my dad has, as if you would need that."

Still Harry didn't say a word, so Draco went on, "I really have no idea why you played along after the vase incident but I thought if you want to be a Malfoy you should know that it is not as easy as it looks. My dad is a very strict man. I hoped either he would get sick of you or you would get sick of him.

"I wasn't aware how hard he was with you. He spanks me, too, if I misbehave, but just for big things like, bringing shame to the Malfoy family, or for endangering my life, or the life of others, but never for just breaking things by accident or the other things I have done. He told me he spanked you at least four times because of me, and I will receive four spankings within the next few days, right before bedtime. That is, now there are just three left. I got one of the four yesterday in addition to the one I received one right after you left. I guess I will not sit comfortably for a while."

As Harry was still silent Draco whined, "Well, say something!"

"I accept your apology but I'm not sure I can forgive you right now," Harry said in a very low voice.

"Not even when you know how I am punished?" Draco asked hopefully.

Harry winced. "It's not that. I never wanted you getting into trouble with your dad because of me. It's more... I don't know... You were horrible to me and my friends the whole year."

Draco looked down, ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry for that, too. All I ever wanted was your friendship but you refused it and I was angry about that. I'm not used to not getting my way, therefore I treated you so horribly. I know, it was wrong."

"You know, if you wouldn't have belittled Ron or Hermione right after they became my friends, there would have been a chance that I could have been sorted into Slytherin. Then we could have been friends. Now I'm a Gryffindor. Can you really befriend someone from Gryffindor?"

Draco was shocked about the news, "You? A Slytherin? Oh my, I would have liked that. To answer your question; yes, I can befriend a Gryffindor if said Gryffindor is my brother now." With that Draco smiled uncertainly.

"Your brother? Not just a bother?" Harry asked.

Now Draco grinned "My brother and sometimes a bother, too."

Finally a tiny smile brightened Harry's face.

Draco was relieved to see it. "You still don't have to forgive me right now but I hope I can make up to you someday. You have no idea for how long I wished for a brother."

"You really mean it? You are not just playing with me?" Harry asked, uncertainty swinging clearly in his voice.

"And risking getting another spanking? Definitely not. No, Harry, I mean what I have said. I always wished for a brother. It just never crossed my mind that I would find one in you. Now I feel really badly about how I treated you," Draco admitted.

Harry sighed. "It is still hard to believe that I would have a family that won't detest me. I'm not quite sure if I have the right to intrude your family. I mean-"

Harry stopped mid-sentence as he heard a whimper coming from Draco. "Harry, please," the blond said and looked pained, "I'm so sorry. _Please_ , stop talking so low of yourself. You make me feel bad all the more. _Of course_ you have the right of a loving family. I _wish_ you to become my brother, okay? You are not intruding, you are welcomed. I was just a stupid brat these last few days and during school, too. It will stop, I promise."

Harry was taken aback as it was more than clear that Draco really wish them to become brothers.

Before Harry could say anything else Lucius walked into the room and said, "Draco. It's time to go back. There is still a lot of work waiting for you."

"Yes, Dad. Can Harry come back with us?" Draco asked.

Now it was Lucius who was taken aback. "Are you sure Draco? You know that you have at least three other-"

"Yes, Dad," Draco interrupted his dad, "I know. I earned them and I agree to it. I just think it is no reason to keep Harry away. I'm not angry at him anymore. I'm angry with myself."

A proud look crossed Lucius face, "Well, I think it is up to Harry. What do think, Harry? Do you want to come home?" With these words Lucius turned to the black haired boy.

Harry was overextended with all the sudden turns of events. He had no idea what to do. _Home_ sounded wonderful but Harry wasn't sure if he felt home at the Malfoys. Too much happened in such a short time.

Severus watched Harry closely and finally came to the boy's rescue. "Why don't we meet each other at dinner and then Harry can choose where he wants to sleep. I would like to have Harry over just for a moment longer, if that is okay?"

"I'm okay with that. Harry?" Lucius asked and at that Harry nodded finally unable to utter a single word.

"Well then, see you two at dinner. Come, Draco." Lucius guided his son to the fireplace and a second later they were gone. Harry starred at the empty place, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.

This time, as Severus stepped next to the boy, he did place an arm around the obviously distraught child.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I should have gone with them but... I couldn't."

"You have been hurt by both of them. It is natural to be afraid to go back. An apology cannot erase what you have been through," Severus explained and to his surprise Harry turned towards him and buried his face into Severus' chest heaving deep heartbroken sobs. The startled man wrapped his arms around the small frame and just stood there waiting, occasionally rubbing the boy's back.

"You know, I have not really earned your trust in the least. I also caused you grief during your school year," Severus suddenly said but Harry just shook his head. "Nt t sm" he mumbled in response.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Harry sniffed and then pulled his face a bit away from the fabric of Severus' robes and repeated. "It's not the same."

"No?" Severus asked surprised.

"You never had any guardianship over me. You were just my least favourite teacher." Harry explained with a shrug of his shoulder.

Severus was amazed at Harry's sudden confidingness. "I treated you horribly, Harry. Still here you are, standing, letting me comfort you. It seems like you have forgiven me but my simple apology was nothing compared to Draco's."

"You showed me kindness and understanding since I came over. It makes me trust you. I kind of feel safe here," Harry admitted and finally looked up.

"And it is just your second day with me. I'm sure soon you will start to feel safe with the Malfoys, too," Severus pointed out.

Harry sighed. He wasn't as sure as his professor was. He was surprised though, how fast he came to feel comfortable with the man. As Lucius suggested that Harry should stay with Professor Snape, Harry was afraid of his hated potion master and now he felt safe with Snape but was afraid of Lucius? That was really confusing.

"Will you also became my godfather if I am an official Malfoy?" Harry suddenly asked.

"Would you like me to?" Severus returned the question still amazed at the boy's fast growing trust towards him.

Harry nodded and smiled shyly.

"I will have to talk to Lucius first but I don't see why that should be a problem," Severus said tousling a hand through Harry's hair.

"What should I call you then?" Harry wondered.

"In school I still will be addressed as Professor Snape or Sir but in private you may call me Severus or if you must Uncle Severus. I do not like any shortenings of my name." Lily was the only one who called him Sev. Since her death he cannot bear someone calling him that.

Harry nodded his head in understanding, "Okay, Severus."


	3. Bedtime Stories

_**Chapter 3 – Bedtime Stories**_

The afternoon went by very fast in Harry's case, but seemed to be endless in Draco's case who had to write an essay for his father as punishment because of his poor treatment of Harry.

"Draco?" Lucius entered the boy's room, "Harry and Severus will be over in a bit. Do you prefer your today's spanking before they come, or do you want to wait till bedtime?"

Startled Draco looked up from his essay. His heart doubled its beat. "I'm still not finished with my work."

"That is okay, you can continue tomorrow," Lucius said with a small smile. He was glad, that his son seemed to have overcome his hatred towards Harry so fast and accepted his punishment without any complaints.

"If it is okay, I would like to have the punishment done before they come," Draco said gulping uneasily.

"Very well, then come here." Lucius sat down on the boy's bed.

Draco's body trembled already. All the more he wondered why Harry took all the blame onto himself knowing perfectly what would await him. How could Harry bear that? Without any further words said, Draco stood next to his father, lowered his trousers and pants and then placed himself over the waiting lap.

"Why are you in this position, Draco?" Lucius asked and Draco explained what he had done and what blame Harry took for his sake.

Then the spanking started and ended after countless smacks with a sobbing Draco who hung over his father's lap with a horrible smarting bottom.

"Two left." Lucius said and then pulled his son up and into a hug.

"Why didn't Harry ever say anything? How could he bear that?" Draco asked in a sniffling voice as soon as he had calmed down to do so.

"He couldn't, Draco," Lucius pointed out with a guilty-stricken face, "He just shut down. Now he is afraid of both of us."

"I'm so sorry, Dad," Draco whispered as new tears threatened to fall.

Lucius hugged Draco closer and whispered into his son's ear, "I know, my Dragon. I am sorry myself."

-oxo.

At dinnertime Harry and Severus flooed over to the Malfoys. Harry looked nervously around. He greeted Draco and Lucius with a shy smile but otherwise kept silent. His heart beat wildly in his chest and his hands were shaking, slightly.

Lucius noticed Harry's discomfort but he hid his inner hurt and made some small-talk with Severus while leading the small group to the dining table.

Even Draco realised how uncomfortable Harry must feel and cringed inwardly. Now he was nearly glad he had already received his today's spanking. It made it a bit easier to cope with all the guilt seeing Harry that withdrawn and fearful.

As they all sat down though, Draco had a hard time to stifle his gasp. He had underestimated how much it would hurt to sit when being spanked right before dinner. Harry looked at him puzzled but then his eyes widened in realisation of the source of Draco's discomfort.

"It's okay," Draco reassured him in a low voice. "I earned it."

At that Harry looked down. He was not happy that Draco now received the spankings Harry had wanted to spare the blond. It made Harry's effort null and void. Harry also knew though that there was nothing he could do about it.

-o-

"Uncle Severus, would you stay a bit before you head back?" Draco asked in a hopeful tone right after dinner.

"I could, if you wish. What do you want to do?" Severus answered.

Draco blushed suddenly but then he stood up, walked over to his godfather and whispered something into the man's ear.

"Draco, it's rude to make secrets when others are in the room," Lucius admonished his son, "Speak aloud!"

Draco looked down ashamed and mumbled nearly soundlessly, "I just asked him if he could read me a bedtime story."

Lucius frowned at his son, "Is that how I taught you to speak properly?"

Draco sighed then looked up at his father and repeated himself. This time loud and clear.

"And do you plan to include Harry in your story time?" Lucius asked.

Draco looked over at the green eyed boy. "He can, if he wants."

"He _may_ , if he wants," Lucius corrected and Draco nearly rolled his eyes but he knew better than to show his annoyance in front of his father.

"Do you want to?" Draco asked Harry.

Harry shrugged one shoulder but then turned to Lucius and asked, "May I leave the table?"

Lucius smiled proudly, "Yes, Harry."

At that Harry stood and followed behind Draco and Severus, feeling confused. Why would Mr. Malfoy look so proud at a simple question? After this small display with Draco it was more than clear that he insists on proper manners. Shrugging to himself Harry entered Draco's room, looking around with big eyes.

It was the first time he was allowed to enter. The room was as big as Harry's room but everything was kept in Slytherin colours, while Harry's room was held in blue and green.

"I suggest, the two of you make yourself ready for bed while I look through your books, Draco," Severus said and the blond haired boy ran towards his own bathroom.

Harry stayed behind and looked questioningly at the man. Severus studied the boy and finally said, "No matter where you are going to sleep today, you still can brush your teeth here, can't you?"

At that Harry nodded and followed Draco only to realise that he didn't have his toothbrush with him.

"Call Dobby," Draco said his mouth full of foam.

"Dobby?" Harry asked wondering but before Draco could explain, the house elf popped into the room with a new toothbrush in his small hands.

"Dobby is proud to serve Harry Potter. Dobby brought you a new toothbrush, young Master."

Harry stood there staring at the little creature. How come he hadn't seen it before? And what did it mean ' _to serve_ Harry Potter'?

"Is something wrong with this toothbrush? Shall Dobby fetch another one? Is there a colour that young Master prefers?" Dobby asked, troubled with the lack of response.

"No. It's okay," Harry said, still confused and took the item from the house elf. With a smile and a deep bow, Dobby vanished again.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

Draco spit into the basin and then cleared his mouth with water before he explained, "That was Dobby, our house elf. He cleans the house, cooks, does the laundry and everything else to keep the house livable. Haven't you ever met him by now?"

Harry shook his head, shocked at that revelation. This house elf was doing everything Harry did at the Dursleys.

"Come on, hurry up. Severus is the best storyteller in the world," Draco said and pushed Harry towards the basin.

Harry borrowed Draco's toothpaste and got to work.

-o-

Meanwhile, Severus had chosen an adventure book about dragons, which he knew Draco liked the most. Next time, he thought to himself, he should let Harry choose, because he had no idea what Harry likes to read.

Severus sat down in the rocking chair and waited for the boys to come back. Draco was the first, clad in a fresh pair of pyjamas and plushy socks. He ran towards his godfather and climbed up the man's lap.

"And where is Harry supposed to sit?" Severus asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh," Draco looked disappointed, he hadn't thought about that. He was used to sitting on Severus' lap, although it was slowly getting more and more uncomfortable, as he had grown very big by now. Obviously it was time to think about an alternative. He looked around his room until his gaze fell on his cosy corner full of cuddly toys.

He jumped up again and made room for two people to sit or lie down. He also placed some pillows from his bed in the corner to make it even more comfortable.

"Do you think he will like it?"Draco asked and Severus smiled.

"It looks definitely inviting. If it wasn't for my old bones, I would join you down there."

At this Draco smiled proudly. He flopped down and hugged his green plush dragon while making himself comfortable. Finally Harry showed up. He too was clad in pyjamas and socks and looked a little lost as he scanned the room with his eyes.

"Come here, Harry. I made room for you, too," Draco shouted.

Harry got closer and carefully sat down. He couldn't help but wonder, who this boy was and what he had done to Draco. Everything felt so surreal.

"Do you also want to hug one of the plushies? You can have Mr. Paw if you want, he is very fluffy," Draco said and held up a white cat.

Harry took the cat and ran his fingers through its fur. It was indeed the most fluffy thing Harry ever felt in his life. "Thank you," he said, touched that Draco would allow him such a wonderful thing.

"Okay, boys. May I start?" Severus asked and both boys nodded eagerly.

-o-

As Severus came to an end, Harry was fast asleep. The white cat was hugged firmly against his chest. Draco was surprised. He had been so engrossed in the story he never realised the other boy was falling asleep.

Severus put the book back and came over with a small smile on his lips.

"Are you going to take him with you?" Draco asked somewhat worried. He didn't want Harry leaving again.

"I think it would be best to let him sleep. I'm not sure how much sleep he had last night, or the nights before. If it is okay with you, I would suggest to leave him where he is."

Draco nodded happily, "Of course he can sleep here."

"Well then, into bed with you," Severus said and shooed Draco away.

Draco jumped into his big, king-size, four-poster bed and looked back to the other boy. "He looks so vulnerable when asleep. He should have one of my blankets."

Severus took the blanket Draco held up and walked over to the sleeping boy. Carefully he wrapped the blanket around the small frame. Compared to Draco, Harry really was small. Maybe they should let a healer run a medical scan sometime soon, to see if the child need any nutritions.

"You have been brilliant today. I'm amazed how much you changed your behaviour towards Harry," Severus said and stroked through Draco's hair.

"I cannot believe I have been treating him the way I did. I hope he can forgive me someday," Draco whispered.

"He will. He forgave me, and I also treated him horribly," Severus said with a soft smile.

Draco sighed happily and then closed his eyes.

"Shall I send your Dad up to you?" Severus asked.

"No, but could you send him my good night wishes?" Draco asked with a sleepy voice.

"I will, Dragon. Sweet dreams." With these words Severus left Draco's room and joined Lucius in the living room for an evening drink.

"The boys are asleep, I assume?" Lucius asked.

"They are," Severus confirmed, "Harry fell asleep in Draco's cosy corner during the story. I suggested to let him sleep there through the night and Draco agreed. I hope it was also in your interest."

"I'm fine with it. It's nice to know the boy is home again," Lucius said, "I was worried he wouldn't want to stay."

Severus took a sip from his scotch and then admitted, "Harry wasn't sure either but it seems the choice was taken out of his hands. It may be easier for him that way. Shall I return tomorrow evening?"

"That would be appreciated. Draco and Harry both seem to like you a lot," Lucius said with a faint smile.

"And how are you?" Severus asked seeing the pain in his friend's eyes.

"I still have a hard time coming to terms with what had happened here. Every time I enter my study I see myself punishing the poor boy. I cannot understand how I could have been so blind. How I could have lost it completely with Harry. I mean, even Draco knows that under normal circumstances I would have never spanked him for just breaking house rules as I did with Harry. I was just cruel," Lucius said in a regretful voice.

"As was Draco," Severus pointed out. "I'm sure he knew perfectly well, how you punished Harry and never stepped up and admitted his involvement."

"Still, he is just a child. I'm an adult. I should have realized sooner what was going on."

"And how?" Severus wondered, "You said Harry admitted everything. How were you to know that the kid would lie to you and take the undeserved punishment freely?"

Lucius snorted, "He made me believe that he admitted his wrong doings. In retrospect, he never really admitted anything by word. He had been saying _he was sorry_ a lot and sometimes repeated the house rule I believed he had broken, but he never said that he was sorry that he broke them in the same sentence."

"That was very S _lytherin_ of him," Severus said impressed.

Lucius shook his head unhappily, "Yes. While he took the false punishment he was careful not to lie to my face."

For a while, silence stretched between them until Severus said, "Well, we cannot change the past. What's done is done." With these words Severus took his last sip and stood. "I wish you good night and I'll see you tomorrow. Feel free to floo call me any time if you need my help."

Lucius stood himself and accompanied his friend to the fireplace. "I will. Thank you for your help so far!"

Severus inclined his head before the green flames took him away.

-oxo-

As Draco woke up the next morning he stretched himself like a cat. Slowly the events of the previous day came back into his mind and he sat up to look at his cosy corner. Harry was still sleeping with Mr. Paw clutched in his arm. Draco smiled at that sight. Slowly he left his bed and tiptoed towards his new brother.

"Welcome home, brother," Draco whispered and then tiptoed to the bathroom.

-o-

"Good morning, Dad," Draco greeted his father.

"Good morning, my Dragon. How did you sleep?" Lucius greeted back.

"Fine. Harry is still sleeping."

"Yes, I guess we shall let him sleep. He will need it."

They both grinned at each other, happy to have Harry back.

-oxo-

At lunch Draco was a bit worried. "Harry is still sleeping. Do you think he is okay, Dad?"

Lucius looked a bit lost at his son, "I have no idea. If he doesn't wake up within the next hour I will ask Severus what he thinks we should do."

Draco nodded unhappily.

-oxo-

Slowly, Harry woke up from is dreamland. His mind was still filled with dragons and knights. The sun was very bright already. Harry turned onto his back and opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings and needed some time to remember where he was. _Was he still in Draco's room?_ He wondered. He sat up and his gaze landed on the white plush cat Draco loaned him last night. _Mr. Paw_ , he recalled. Hugging it one more time, he placed it down.

After he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes Harry stood and slowly made his way to the bathroom. He couldn't remember the last time he slept that long and deep. He washed his face and then looked at his reflection. He looked a tiny bit better, more rested. He smiled a little and then wondered what to do next.

He had no idea where Draco or the others were. He also didn't know what time it was. Suddenly some clothes popped into existence on the stool next to the bathtub. Right then Harry remembered the strange little creature he met last night. _What was its name? Tabby? No. Doggy? No. No. No._ "Ahh... Dobby!"

With a soft pop, the house elf appeared. "Does young Master need anything from Dobby?"

"Oh... I... erm... I'm sorry, if I interrupted you. I was just remembering your name," Harry stuttered embarrassed.

"Young Master is not interrupting Dobby. Dobby is glad to see young Master is well," the elf said, excited.

Harry frowned a little, "It sounds strange when you call me Master. I don't own you."

"But you do. If you are part of the Malfoy family then you own me as well."

"Erm... well," Harry was lost at words. "Can you tell me what time it is?"

"Of course," said the elf happily, "It's one o'clock. Master Malfoy and the other young Master are having lunch now. Do you wish Dobby to add a plate for you?"

"That would be great, Dobby, thanks."

With a deep bow, the house elf disappeared. Harry decided to have a quick shower and then pulled on the clothes that were obviously left for him to wear. They were definitely not his but they fit perfectly.

-oxo-

Draco and Lucius looked up startled, as a third place setting was laid out but before any of them could wonder, a small shy voice said, "I'm sorry."

"Harry!" Draco yelled excitedly and wanted to stand up but the chair wouldn't move until it fell and Draco nearly with it.

"Draco," Lucius scolded but the blond haired boy ran over to Harry and grinned.

"But, Dad. It's Harry!" he said.

"So I see but it is still no reason to upset your lunch."

"Sorry, Dad," Draco said sheepishly but then he turned back at Harry and said, "You slept so long. I was really worried. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Draco. I just wasn't sleeping well for a while and I guess I was catching up a bit," Harry explained still not used to Draco's different behaviour.

"Draco, would you please sit down," Lucius snapped, annoyed. "And Harry, please have a seat as well. It's good you could get some much needed sleep", he added in a much more friendly voice.

"Thank you, Sir." Harry said and then took the empty seat next to Lucius and opposite of Draco. He served himself and then started to eat, without noticing the worried look Lucius cast at him at the far too small amount of food on the boy's plate.

Lucius wondered why he didn't notice it earlier. The boy should eat at least twice as much as he had on the plate right now.

"Harry, don't you want to eat more?" Lucius asked, as it seemed that Harry didn't plan to have a second go.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, but I had enough," Harry said politely.

"If you are sure. Draco is still working on an essay for me in the afternoon. Do you wish to read something? Or do you have some homework left?" Lucius asked.

At that Harry blushed. "I don't have any summer homework done yet."

"Well Harry. Then I suggest you start with them. There are only three weeks left until school starts again. When do you normally do your homework?" Lucius was shocked to hear that Harry hadn't done anything yet.

"At my relative's house, I couldn't do my homework because they locked all my things into a cupboard," Harry explained.

"Those Muggles. I wonder what Dumbledore was thinking to place you with them. In the library you may find books to help with your essays but please ask me first before you take them to your room."

"Okay. Thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius grimaced "Please, Harry. We are family now. You may call me Lucius until you feel comfortable to call me something else."

"Okay, Mr. M... erm... Lucius. May I leave the table?"

"Yes Harry, you may. Please seek me out before dinner to let me look through your work."

At that Harry gulped but he nodded politely, "Yes, Sir."

-oxo-

Nervously Harry stepped from one foot to the other while he waited for Mr. Malfoy to read his poor excuse of an essay on potions.

"Harry, have a seat," the man finally said and waited for Harry to do so before he continued. "I know from Severus that potions is not your favourite subject but _this_ will not even earn you an A. Maybe you should ask Severus about what confused you. There is so much wrong in your essay I don't even know where to start."

Harry chewed on his lip looking mortified but to his embarrassment Lucius wasn't finished, "The other thing is your handwriting. Before you do any other essays you must improve your penmanship. I will teach you some exercises tomorrow after breakfast."

"Yes, Sir," Harry whispered looking at the floor.

"It's still Lucius, Harry. You don't have to 'Sir' me. And I'm not angry at you. I just want to help you, okay?"

At that Harry looked up. "I'm sorry. I will try harder."

Lucius smiled at boy, "I know, but you need to let others help you. You are not alone any more. You can ask Draco, Severus and me."

-oxo-

Harry was surprised to see Severus that soon again. He and Draco were on their way to the dining room as they met Severus coming from the library.

"Uncle Severus! Are you joining us at dinner again?" Draco asked happily.

"Indeed. How are the two of you doing?" Severus asked.

"I'm bored out of my mind but I think tomorrow I will finish my essay, Father asked me to write," Draco told his godfather.

Severus nodded and then turned towards the black-haired boy. "And you, Harry? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Harry said in a low voice.

"He slept an eternity," Draco interrupted.

"Well, I think that is no wonder. The last days weren't easy for him, so I'm not surprised at all."

Draco hung his head as a new wave of guilt washed over him and Harry studied his feet, because he felt embarrassed being the centre of attention. Severus sighed, it wasn't his intention to make the boys uncomfortable.

"Do the two of you want a bedtime story again?" he asked to change the subject but unknowingly made matters worse.

"I would like that more than what is already awaiting me," Draco whispered.

"I still can read to you afterwards," Severus suggested.

Draco just shrugged, not sure if he was allowed to, or if he would want to. After punishment he preferred to crawl under his blanket and forget the rest of the world.

Harry didn't catch on what Draco meant by that at first but as Lucius asked Draco after dinner to follow him, it slowly dawned on him.

"No!" he gasped horror-stricken and jumped out of this chair. He didn't want Draco still getting punished because of him. Not after what Draco already did to make up to him.

Lucius was taken aback. He hadn't thought about Harry's reaction. Now he didn't know what to do. He wasn't planning to let Draco off his punishment but he didn't want to hurt Harry either. To his surprise it was Draco who stepped up.

"Harry, don't worry. I really earned it. I do not like it one bit but I kind of need it to cope with all the guilt. You have no idea how bad I feel, knowing that I pushed you into this kind of punishment every second day since you stayed with us."

Harry had tears in his eyes. "But... but I took the blame on me, to _prevent_ you from getting punished," he whispered.

"I know. You wanted to protect me, to show me that you can be a good brother but I utilised your protection shamelessly. I stage-managed all the incidents knowing full well that you will take the blame. My behaviour was inexcusable," Draco said placing his hands on the other boy's shoulders.

"I was intruding your family. You had every right to-"

"No, Harry," Draco interrupted. "I made you feel like you would but it's not true. I should have welcomed you, I should have listened to my father who explained to me, why you are to live with us but our stupid school rivalry made me blind to the obvious. You are the best brother someone could wish for and I feel incredibly bad for what I have done to you. Let _our_ dad deal with my wrong doings. Okay?"

Harry was touched at Draco's words. Tears streamed down his face but he nodded and whispered a hoarsely "okay".

Draco hugged his brother. His eyes also wet with tears. "I will see you tomorrow," he whispered and then turned towards his father and followed him out of the room.

Harry looked down at his feet, feeling completely confused. Draco really wanted him as a brother, so in a strange way Harry achieved his goal, to avoid the same situation he had with Dudley. That made it all the harder to accept, that Draco now gets punished because of that. Harry feared the blond haired boy could change his mind soon and would be angry with Harry because of all the punishments he receives now.

Suddenly an arm came resting on his shoulders. Harry looked up at Severus and said, "I wish it all would be over. He had changed his behaviour already, why is he still getting punished?"

"I fear that is something you cannot change. It's between Draco and Lucius. After what happened with you, I am sure Lucius will not be unfairly harsh with Draco and you heard Draco, it helps him deal with the guilt," Severus pointed out.

Harry sighed and leant unconsciously against the other man.

"Why don't we go to your room?" Severus suggested.

At that the boy nodded and they went to Harry's room, which was next to Draco's. No sound came out of the other boy' room, very likely prevented in a magical way.

"Do you have any books that I can read to you?" Severus asked as they entered Harry's room.

Once again Harry hung his head, nearly answering _'Freaks don't get bedtime stories'_ "No," he answered instead.

"It's okay. I brought a book with me but I'm not sure if you like it." With that Severus pulled an old and used looking book out of his robe's pocket and held it towards the boy.

Surprised Harry looked up and took the book to read the title. The Hobbit "What is it about?" Harry asked.

"About hobbits, dwarfs, elves, wizards and dragons. It's a muggle book. It is one of my most protected treasures, because it was the first present I got from your mother," Severus revealed.

"My mother?" Harry asked confused.

"Indeed," the man sighed and sat on Harry's bed, "I'm so sorry, Harry. I never looked that closely at you to realise how much you resemble her. Your mother was my first friend. We met each other even before Hogwarts."

Harry looked at the man dumbstruck. Finally he found his voice. "You... you knew my mum?"

"Yes."

"What was she like? Can you tell me about her?" Harry asked excited.

With no idea where to start Severus asked, "What do you want to know?"

Harry thought about that for a while but then he suddenly ran towards his bedside table, placed The Hobbit onto it and then pulled a photo album out of the bedside table's drawer. He sat next to Severus and then placed the album over both of their laps. On the front was a picture of him as a baby together with his mum and dad. Carefully Harry stroked a finger over his mother's face.

Severus gulped. What had he gotten himself into? Was he ready to tell the boy stories about Lily? Was he ready to face pictures full with his beloved Lily next to his most hated rivals?

"She is so beautiful!" Harry whispered in awe unaware of Severus' uncomfortable look.

"Yes she was an exceptional girl in many ways." ' _She must have been, if she had put up with me as long as she did.'_ Severus added in his mind.

"They say I have her eyes," Harry said still staring at his family picture.

"You do," the man confirmed.

Harry sighed once more and finally opened the album full of pictures of his parents. Severus was surprised to see even pictures of him with Lily in it. There weren't many but it was more than the professor had expected.

"Is that you?" Harry asked disbelievingly as Severus pointed to one of the pictures and asked Harry if he recognised this boy. At Severus nod, Harry shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "I wouldn't have recognised you, if you hadn't it pointed out to me. I always wondered who this guy is. You look so different," Harry said, as he stared at the young version of his professor.

"I _was_ different," Severus admitted and hoped that he wouldn't have to go into any details as to what made him change so much.

"And who are all the other guys?" Harry asked as he pointed to a picture with four boys in it.

Severus did his best to hide his hatred that he still felt towards these boys and explained, "Well. This is your dad, as you know and the others are his best friends: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew."

"What happened to them? Are they all dead?" Harry wondered how it came, that he never had heard of them before if they had been best friends with his dad.

"No, at least not all. Sirius Black is in Azkaban, a wizard prison. I don't really know what happened to Remus Lupin, I think he went overseas after the war. Peter Pettigrew is dead."

"Why is Sirius Black in prison? What did he do?" Harry went on with his questions but Severus shook his head,

"This is not material for a bedtime story." Severus turned a page back and pointed towards one of the rare pictures of Lily and him. "If you want, I can tell you the story behind this picture," he offered.

Harry smiled and nodded. Severus repositioned himself to lean against one of the posts of Harry's four-poster bed and Harry pulled his shoes off and crawled onto his bed to sit next to his professor. He leaned his head against the man's shoulder and looked at the picture Severus was about to explain.

The man took a moment to travel back in time in his mind and then started with the story of one of his greatest adventure in Hogwarts that didn't involve any of the marauders. The moment Severus ended his story he realised that, once again, Harry had fallen asleep.

Carefully he tried to extract his body from under the boy and placed the album back into the still open drawer. Then he used his wand to change Harry's clothes into pyjamas and to levitate the boy so he could pull back the covers of Harry's bed. Gently he placed the boy down and wrapped the blanket around the sleeping form.

"Sleep well," he whispered running his fingers through the black mop of hair.

As he turned to go, his gaze fell onto the book, The Hobbit. After some considerations he decided to leave the book with Harry and strode out of the room.

In the hall he met Lucius who pulled the door to his son's room carefully closed.

"Is Draco asleep?" Severus asked at the same time Lucius asked "Is Harry asleep?"

They grinned at each other. "Yes. Harry showed me his photo album with pictures of his parents and I told him a story of his mum and me," Severus said in a low voice.

At that Lucius arched an eyebrow in surprise. "You told him about you and his mother?" he asked while he led Severus towards the living room.

"It wasn't my intention. Actually I wanted to read The Hobbit to him but this book was a present from his mum and so we got sidetracked."

"What did you tell him?" Lucius wanted to know while he went towards his house bar and opened it.

"Scotch?"

"Yes please," Severus answered and sat down on the couch. "Well. Just that I knew his mother and that I liked her. I said nothing about how I lost her or anything concerning the war. That will have to wait for another time."

Lucius nodded his head. He came back and sat opposite of Severus handing him his glass of Scotch. They nodded at each other and then sipped at their drink.

After a while of silence Lucius voiced his concerns regarding Harry. "I'm worried about Harry. He doesn't eat properly and seems to be too small for his age."

"So I noticed, I think a medical examination on him would be a wise thing to do."

Lucius nodded unhappily. Then he changed the topic, "How did Harry react after I left with Draco?"

"He was confused, I guess. It's still hard for him to believe that Draco accepts him now and I believe he is afraid of losing Draco's acceptance any time. That Draco still gets punished isn't helping him but I told him, that it is out of his control. And we all heard, as Draco said, that it helps him with his guilt. Harry will need to accept it."

"You know, sometimes I wonder if the boys aren't too old for this kind of punishment. I know Draco earned every smack I delivered but I'm not as sure about this kind of punishment as I was before. I mean, what had happened with Harry was inexcusable.

"The most distressing thought is, that if it had been Draco telling me that he broke the vase as an accident I would have scolded him and then sent him to his room. Maybe I would have taken away his pudding but never ever would I have spanked him for that. Why did I do it with Harry?"

Severus shook his head. "I don't know, my friend. Probably out of the same reason why I treated him badly in classes. We didn't look close enough. We didn't look behind his mask. We assumed things that simply weren't true."

Lucius sighed. "I don't know how to cope with my guilt. Punishing Draco is not helping me in the least. How do you deal with it?"

"I try to do my best to make it up to him. There is not much else I can do."

At that Lucius sighed once more.

They sat in silence for a while before Lucius said, "I fear you need to give him remedial potions. I read through his essay of your potion summer homework and it's a catastrophe."

Severus nodded. "Yes, the boy is missing some essential basic knowledge. I ignored it till now but I will correct that."

"And I will teach him some exercises to help him with his horrid penmanship," Lucius said.

"That's a good idea but I fear Harry will get annoyed with us soon," Severus answered with a small smile.

"He will need to get used to it. As a Malfoy he is expected to out stand with his knowledge and grace. I cannot tolerate a sloppy handwriting," Lucius said determined.

"Apropos Malfoy. When do you plan to do the adoption ritual?" Severus wanted to know.

An uncertain look crossed Lucius face, "I'm not sure. I want to do it before the new term starts but I will have to talk with Harry beforehand."

Severus nodded and then frowned to himself. He looked up again and fixed his friend with a serious look. "You know the boy will ask about Narcissa sooner or later. You should prepare yourself."

Lucius turned his look to the side where an unmoving picture of his wife hung on the wall. "Yes. I'm aware but I'm not sure what to tell him. I told Draco that his mum is dead, because I don't want him to live with this uncertainty."

Severus followed his friend's gaze and asked "And Draco never asked, why the picture isn't moving?"

Lucius sighed, "He did. I explained that I stilled it with a spell, because I couldn't bear to look at her moving and talking and at the same time not being able to be near her."

Heavy silence hung between the two adults both lost in their thoughts.

"It would be easier to tell Harry the same thing, because I'm not ready to tell him or Draco the truth," Lucius finally said, "How could I? How does someone explain, that his wife went missing over nearly eleven years by now? That she is probably left in a prison only known by the Dark Lord himself. I don't even know in what condition she is in. All I know is that she isn't dead, or the picture of her would move and talk."


	4. Scratching the Surface

_**Chapter 4 - Scratching the surface**_

As Draco woke the next morning and sat up, he realised that the sting in his backside already had vanished. His father was not the same last evening while dishing out Draco's punishment. Draco got the impression that his dad wasn't as convinced about the effectiveness of spankings as he was before. Of course Draco didn't complain. His bottom had still hurt enough but now the pain was gone completely.

Sighing he stood up. He wondered how Harry was doing; if he was up already or if he was still asleep. After some considerations he walked to his cosy corner, picked Mr. Paw up and then sneaked out of his room into Harry's. The black haired boy was rolled up into a tiny ball breathing deeply.

Draco watched his brother while he slept and then placed Mr. Paw next to Harry's head. Harry stirred a little but he didn't wake up and so Draco stepped back and slowly he left the room again but not before he noted that Harry's room was relatively empty compared to his own room.

-oxo-

As Harry woke up his eyes fell onto the white cat. "Mr. Paw?" Harry wondered, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Cuddling the soft stuffed cat to his chest the boy smiled happily. "I'm not sure if you are supposed to be here. Maybe Dobby misplaced you, believing you belong to me?"

Sighing Harry sat the animal down again and slowly slid to the end of the bed. Before his feet touched the floor his gaze was caught by the book on his bedside table. 'The Hobbit' "Oh, look, Mr. Paw. Severus forgot his book." With a small smile Harry carefully took the book in his hands and stroked over the cover. Devoutly he opened the book and found a short message in an unknown handwriting.

 _Dear Sev,  
For your eleventh birthday I wish you all the best.  
I hope you will like this book. I still have to read it.  
Maybe we could read it together?  
With love,  
your Lily_

"Mum," Harry whispered to himself and stroked a finger over Lily's signature.

-oxo-

After breakfast Lucius asked Harry to follow him to the study. Harry gulped nervously but stood and followed.

"As I told you yesterday I will show you some exercises to improve your penmanship," with that Lucius pulled out a parchment with different lines and dots on it. It reminded Harry on his time in preschool.

"Do you know how this works?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, Sir."

Lucius sighed at Harry's formal tone. "Harry, I already told you not to _Sir_ me. You are not in trouble with me. I want to help you. Next I will show you how to prepare your quill for writing."

At this Harry arched his eyebrows "Prepare?" he wondered.

"Yes, of course. It is very important. Every hand is different and the standard tip on your quill when you buy it doesn't suit most of the people. A sloppy handwriting can be caused by an unsuitable tip. Unfortunately more and more people forget about the importance of a correct quill tip."

At this Lucius pulled out a new unused quill and showed Harry what he had to do, before he can write properly with it. This was completely new for the boy. Nobody ever told him that he would have to do this.

As Harry finally started with the exercises, Lucius stopped the boy again. "You should not grip the quill so hard. It's not necessary and will cause you pain when you have to write for a long time. Watch me, hold your quill like this."

Harry looked at Lucius and tried to copy him but he couldn't do it. He hung his head and tried to hold back the tears which already pooled in his eyes.

"Harry?" Lucius frowned, "What is the matter?"

"I cannot do this. It... it... hurts," he whispered.

"What is hurting you? Your hand?," Lucius wanted to know and as Harry nodded he asked, "Give me your hand, please."

Slowly Harry complied. The man took the boy's hand carefully into his own and then pushed and pressed Harry's wrist and palm.

"Ouch," Harry hissed and pulled his hand back.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to hurt you. I fear I have to contact my healer to have a look at your hand," Lucius said and stood up. "Please go to your room. I will be there in a minute."

"What about the exercises?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"They have to wait. Your health is more important. Come on Harry. There is no need to look so worried. The healer is nice, you will like him," Lucius tried to reassure the boy.

-oxo-

Nervously Harry sat on his bed and hugged Mr. Paw. He knew he had to give the stuffed cat back to Draco but right now he felt the need to hug the soft white cat. He didn't know why he felt so small and so afraid.

"Hi, Harry," Draco entered the room and smiled as he saw Harry hugging Mr. Paw for dear life.

"Draco," Harry was surprised and then looked horrified. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... to steal. I don't know how he got into my room, I know it's yours, I didn't-"

"Harry, breathe!" Draco interrupted Harry's rambling. "It's okay. _I_ brought Mr. Paw to you this morning. I want you to have him," Draco explained as soon as he understood what Harry was on about.

Harry looked bemused. "I don't understand."

Draco sighed. "I have enough other stuffed animals and you seemed to like Mr. Paw the other day. So I decided to give him to you."

"You...?"

"Yes. He belongs to you now," Draco said and smiled at Harry.

Harry wanted to say 'thank you' but his emotions got the better of him and so he hugged Mr. Paw tighter while tears streamed down his cheeks.

"What is going on?" Lucius asked as he entered the room and found Draco next to a crying Harry.

"Nothing, Dad. I just gave Mr. Paw to Harry and then he started to cry," Draco explained nervously.

"That was very nice of you. I'm sure Harry likes your gift," Lucius said.

"But why is he crying?" Draco wondered.

"I don't know. I fear he has problems coping with all the sudden changes in his life. We need to give him time to adjust. Mr. Paw will be a great help for Harry. It was a good idea to give him the cat."

At that Draco smiled and gave his father a hug. Lucius smiled back and patted his son's back. "Could you please go to the library and wait for the healer and then show him the way to Harry's room?" Lucius asked.

"The healer? What is wrong with Harry?" now Draco was worried.

"Harry's hand is hurting him and I want to know why," Lucius explained and finally Draco nodded and went out of the room.

As soon as Draco left, Lucius sat down next to Harry and pulled the boy into a hug. He smiled as he felt Harry leaning into the touch instead of going stiff.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me," Harry whispered.

"It's okay, Harry. No need to apologise."

"I have nothing I can give Draco in exchange for Mr. Paw," the boy said in a sad voice.

Lucius stroke through Harry's hair. "I don't think Draco expect something in return. He just wanted to give you the cat."

"But why?" Harry asked not understanding the act of friendship towards him.

"You will have to ask _him_ , Harry," Lucius said.

"Dad?" Draco's voice interrupted, "Healer Greg is here."

"Oh yes. Greg, come in," Lucius said and wanted to stand up to greet the healer only to find two small hands holding on to him. As Lucius turned towards Harry, fearful eyes looked up at him.

"Who is my patient today? You, Mr. Malfoy?" Greg asked jokingly with a big toothy smile.

"No. Not me but Harry here. He told me of some pain in his right hand and I'm a bit concerned about his weight, too. Maybe you can do a full medical," Lucius said.

"No problem at all," Greg said and eyed the frightened child. "So... you are Harry?" he asked in a friendly voice.

Harry gave a short nod. He was not able to say anything.

"Well, I'm Greg Jason. I'm the family healer of the Malfoys. It's nice to meet you, Harry," Greg introduced himself and offered his hand to the black haired boy. Cautiously Harry took the hand.

"I need you to lie down on your back for the scan. Can you do that for me?" Greg asked and Harry nodded. Lucius stood up and then left with Draco the room to give Harry some privacy. He didn't notice the panicky look on Harry's face.

"I promise, there is nothing to fear from me," Greg tried to reassure the child. "It is easier for me to scan you, if nobody else is in the room. It's just for a bit. Mr. Malfoy will be back as soon as I'm done. In fact, I'm sure he will pace nervously in front of your room just waiting to be able to get back in."

Harry still looked uncertain and so Greg pulled out his wand and made Harry's wall transparent from the inside. Sure enough there was Lucius with a worried face waiting in front of Harry's door. Draco leaned next to his father on the wall. His arms crossed and a thoughtful frown on his face.

"You see? You must be very important to them," Greg whispered.

Harry was indeed surprised. This was completely new to him. The Dursleys always locked him away, whenever he was ill or hurt in any form. They never wanted to deal with Harry if he had problems. Harry hugged Mr. Paw again and a very small smile flitted over his face.

"Okay," Greg said and cancelled the spell again. "Now let's see what's wrong with your hand. Just lay back and relax. I will not hurt you with the scan. It may tickle a bit but nothing more. Your cat may remain at your side but your arms should lay still for a moment. Ready?" Greg asked and placed Mr. Paw next to Harry's shoulder, where the boy could still see him.

Harry gave a short nod and then closed his eyes in fear. Greg sighed but got to work. It was obvious that the boy in front of him had more problems than just an injured hand. Only the scan can bring some light into the situation. A parchment popped into existence and started to write down all injuries and illnesses Harry ever had.

Greg frown deepened with every minute the scan went on. Normally the scan didn't take so long and this parchment was without any doubt the longest scan document he had ever seen. As the scan finally ended the healer was shocked. There were several wrong healed bones, like the one in Harry's hand which probably was the reason for the pain. The child was underweight and malnourished.

"It's over. You can open your eyes again," Greg finally said in a soft voice.

Slowly Harry complied looking a bit lost.

"How are you feeling?" Greg asked.

"Tired," Harry mumbled and closed his eyes again.

Greg frowned again and then placed a hand onto the boy's forehead. The boy leaned into the touch obviously unaware of who was touching him.

"I promise, soon you will feel better. If you are tired then sleep, child," with these words the boy took a deep breath and fell asleep in the next moment.

Greg stood up, took the parchment and then went out of the room to meet Lucius. There was a lot he wanted to know about the child in the bed. Whoever had been responsible for this child need to be brought to trial.

-oxo-

Draco watched the adults heading to the library and pondered what to do. He also wanted to know how Harry was, on the other hand, he wanted to see his little brother. Finally he turned away from the adults and entered Harry's room. The black haired boy on the bed looked peacefully asleep. Draco took the seat the healer had pulled over to Harry's bed and sat down. He took Mr. Paw and placed the stuffed cat on Harry's chest.

Harry sighed in his sleep and his arms slowly encircled the cat. Then he curled up and turned on his side, with Mr. Paw securely clutched in his arms. Draco smiled and stroked a loose strand of hair out of Harry's face.

"Hi Bro," Draco whispered trying is best not to wake up the other boy while he found the need to speak, "Healer Greg didn't look very happy as he came out of your room. Guess you are not feeling all too well. I really hope it has nothing to do with me. I mean I know I was horrible to you but... I don't know... I have the feeling there is something more, you haven't told us. Am I right? I really want to know what Healer Greg and Dad are talking about but somehow I don't want to leave you alone. You look so small and vulnerable when you sleep."

Draco pulled his feet up and hugged his knees. "You know, I cannot understand why I never noticed how small you are. I should have been fighting more for our friendship. I shouldn't have been jealous of Weasley. I was so stupid. I still try to imagine how our first year would have been, if you would have been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. Maybe you can be resorted? That is... I don't know if you would want that. You have your friends in Gryffindor of course."

Draco sat at Harry's side for nearly an hour before his dad silently made his way into the room, too. He looked at Draco enquiringly but the boy just shrugged his shoulders.

Lucius conjured a second chair to sit on. "What are you doing, Draco?"

"I don't know. I just cannot leave him alone. I talked a bit but he seems to sleep very deeply. Did Greg give him something that made him sleepy?" Draco asked.

"No, but he told me Harry is sleep-deprived and now he is catching up," Lucius explained.

Draco studied Harry's face with a frown, "What else did Healer Greg tell you?"

Lucius closed his eyes and shook his head, not sure what he should tell his son. There was so much, that wasn't right with Harry. "Harry will need time to heal. It's good he is with us now. Severus can brew potions to help with Harry's healing process."

"Dad, how bad is it?" Draco asked with a serious voice.

"Bad."

"Please, Dad. Tell me. Maybe I can help?" Draco pleaded.

At that Lucius smiled. He cannot say how relieved he was that Draco didn't see Harry as an enemy anymore. "As it seems his relatives abused and neglected him badly. There are several bones that need to be corrected. There are many scars, all over his body and he will need to take potions to help him gain some weight. Right now it is dangerously low."

"I don't understand why nobody in Hogwarts noticed something. Uncle Severus normally detects abused children," Draco said in a sad voice.

"Severus wasn't looking all too closely at Harry. Harry's father and Severus didn't get along very well. And Harry's eyes reminded Severus painfully about what he had lost as Harry's mother had died."

Draco shook his head in disbelief, "But what about his head of house? Or Madam Pomfrey. Harry was in the infirmary quite often. Why didn't she notice anything?"

"I don't know, my Dragon. I don't know. He was with us for a week and we didn't notice anything either. He seems to be good at hiding his true self."

-oxo-

"Lucius, what can I do for you?" Severus asked as his friend called him via floo.

"I have a list of potions that I need," Lucius said and pushed a parchment through the green flames, "Do you think you will have time to brew them?"

"These are all medical potions. They aren't all for Harry, are they?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They are. Healer Greg will come tomorrow and wants to correct Harry's bones. He will have to re-break at least three of them. The smaller fractures, he said, should be able to heal with the Skelegrow potion. The nutrient potion he will need to take twice a day at least for a week, and then once a day for a minimum of a month. Greg also advices us to brew an eyesight-correction potion and then we should see to an oculist. About the scar balm Greg said he isn't sure if it will work. There are a lot of scars that are older than five years."

"Broken bones and scars? What have they done to the boy?" Severus asked shocked.

"It's horrible, you should have seen the scan protocol. Without his magic, there is a great possibility that Harry wouldn't be alive anymore."

Severus shook his head in disbelief, once more asking himself, why he didn't notice anything before. "I will have the potions ready tomorrow and then bring them to you."

"Thank you, Severus."

"No problem at all."

-oxo-

Harry woke up again at lunchtime but his appetite wasn't the best. He felt strange. As if he would be weak and helpless. He never was weak before. He never had allowed himself to be weak. He wasn't used to people around him that are concerned about his well being. Nothing was like he was used to. It was nice to have adults looking out for him but Harry didn't know how to deal with it. Can he really trust Lucius, Draco and Severus completely?

"Harry? Aren't you hungry?" Lucius asked as Harry just sat there and stared at his plate without eating anything.

"Oh. Erm... I'm sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts," Harry said and shoveled a fork loaded with potatoes into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed but it tasted like nothing. He sighed inwardly. He wasn't hungry in the least but he didn't like the worried faces of the others, therefore he continued eating until his stomach protested. He felt the heat rising in his face and his fork clattered down onto the table. "Sorry," he whispered before he jumped up and fled the room.

Draco wanted to follow Harry but Lucius put a hand on the boy's arm and stopped him. "Please finish your lunch, I will see after Harry."

Harry ran back to his room and into his bathroom and then vomited the little he had eaten out again. He felt horrible, his throat burned and he felt the urge to cry.

Lucius found the boy bent over the toilet. He took a small towel and wet it a bit. "Come here," he whispered and as the boy looked up he wiped Harry's face. Immediately the tears, Harry had tried to hold back, rolled down his cheeks.

"What's wrong with me?" Harry asked feeling so damn helpless.

"Nothing," Lucius answered and wrapped his arms around the child. "Nothing that can't heal with time."

"Everything is so confusing," Harry whispered.

"I know. You will need to give yourself time to adjust. I have to ask something of you, though."

Harry looked up questioningly.

"Please, never lie to me. If you are not hungry, then say so. I do not have to like it but I need to know," Lucius said in a soft voice but his eyes held a serious look.

"I'm sorry," Harry choked out, while new tears streamed down.

"Shhhh. It's okay," Lucius said and carefully wiped Harry's tears away. Then he tightened his arm around the boy while with his other hand he pulled Harry's head carefully against his chest.

So they stood for a few minutes absolutely motionless. Harry started to feel better. He felt safe and protected. _Was it really so bad to be weak, when there was someone this strong to hold you?_ He asked himself. This was something Harry had never experienced before.

"I am afraid," Harry finally explained in a low voice.

Lucius caught his breath? Afraid? Was the boy still afraid of him? "Afraid of what?" he asked carefully.

"Of losing this new feeling of being cared about," Harry whispered.

Inwardly Lucius sighed. This feeling shouldn't be new to a twelve year old. "You will not lose that, I promise. I will be here for you as long as you need me, like I'm here for Draco. You are my son now and you don't have to be strong all the time. Now you can be a child like every other child your age. Sometimes I will make decisions you will not like but rest assured, I will always act in your best interests. I want you to become a well-behaved and respected young gentleman."

Harry snuggled against the warm body sighing in relief.

Lucius stroked through Harry's hair giving Harry a few more minutes until he spoke up again. "What about we go back to Draco and reassure him that you are okay?"

Harry nodded and then stepped back, a small smile graced his lips. Lucius smiled back and then placed his arm around the boy's shoulder and lead him back to the dining room.

Draco sat with his shoulders slumped and a lost look on his face at the big table. Lucius noticed that his other son hadn't eaten much either. Normally he expected Draco to eat up but today he could understand Draco's loss of appetite.

"Draco, come and join us in the living room. I have to discuss something with both of you," Lucius said.

The blond haired boy looked up surprised. Draco thought his father would insist upon him to eat up, like he always did but he was glad, that he wasn't forced today. He was so worried about Harry that he couldn't eat a single bite since his brother had fled the room.

As Draco stepped to his father, Lucius laid his other arm around Draco's shoulder and in a threesome the walked to the living room.

Lucius smiled as the boy's huddled together on the sofa and then took the seat opposite of his boys.

"What do you want to discuss with us?" Draco asked finally.

Lucius looked from one boy to the other and then said. "I want to set a mark that Harry really belongs to us now. I want to adopt you, Harry, by blood and magic. What do you think about that?"

 _By blood and magic?_ Harry wondered. _Was that more than just the paper saying that he was a Malfoy?_ "What does that mean?"

"It would fuse us together in any possible way. I'm not sure if you would want that. There is no way back then. You would be tied to me like Draco is because I'm his biological father. You would have to exchange your independence to the stability and protection of our family. It wouldn't be just a name on the paper. You would become a real Malfoy."

"I would love you becoming my real brother," Draco pointed out with a smile to make sure Harry knew his opinion of this.

"I don't expect an answer immediately. Think about it. Sleep on it. Ask your questions whenever they pop into your mind and tell me your answer if you are completely sure about it. Take all the time you need. It is also okay if you don't want it right now but in a year, or even later. In my heart you already belong to us. It is up to you what you make of it."

Once again Harry felt overextended and unable to say a single word.

"Severus will come over tomorrow. You can talk with him, if you want," Lucius suggested.

Finally Harry nodded.

-oxo-

Draco and Harry spent the afternoon together. Draco was happy that he finished the essay for his father and now had time for his brother. He wished he could go flying with Harry but his father forbid it because of Harry's dangerously low weight.

Therefore Draco showed Harry around the Malfoy estate. Harry hadn't had much time till now to explore the grounds. There was a large flower garden with a beautiful fountain. Some white peacocks were running around looking sceptically at the boys.

As the boys sat on one of the benches to watch the fountain Harry dared a question that was burning inside of him for a while now. "What happened to your mother?"

Draco bit his lip and frowned. Harry was about to take the question back but Draco held up his hand, "No. No. You have every right to ask that. Truth to be told, I'm not sure. Dad told me that she is dead but... I don't know. There is something he isn't telling me. Probably because he wants to protect me from an awful truth. You saw her portrait in living room? It is not moving. Dad said he spelled it motionless but what if she is still alive?"

"Do you remember her?" Harry whispered.

"Not really. I was a year old when she vanished," Draco said with a sigh.

Harry looked sad. "I'm sorry."

"What for? You lost both of your parents. I still have my dad."

"Still. It's so horrible that a single man had the power to destroy so much."

"He didn't destroy _you_ ," Draco pointed out and smiled.

"When he comes back one day, he will hunt me down," Harry said with a shudder.

Draco frowned "You will be a strong man when that happens and I will stand by you to protect you."

A horrifying thought struck Harry at that. "What if he will kill you too, like he did with my parents? I don't think I can survive that."

"Why do you think so much about this bastard? He wont be back for a very long time," Draco tried to lighten the mood again but it wasn't working.

Harry shook his head while he said, "You cannot be sure of that. I saw him, I even _talked_ to him. He is near. I don't believe it will take him much longer to come back again. He nearly managed it last term. Just think what would have happened, if the Philosopher Stone would have fallen into his hands."

Draco stared at Harry with big eyes. He hadn't known much about Harry's adventure last school term and he hadn't been aware that Harry had been having an encounter with the Dark Lord himself.

"How can you sleep at night?" Draco wondered aloud.

"How do you think I sleep? Often I wake up from a nightmare and cannot fall back to sleep because I know these pictures would haunt me again. Sometimes I wish I never would have learned that I am a wizard but that would also mean I would still be living with the Dursleys. So, I guess that's the price for my freedom."

Draco shook his head wondering how Harry could live with all the horrible things in his life.

"When you were falling asleep in my room a few days ago you hadn't been having a nightmare, had you?"

"No. It's a lot better now," Harry said.

"But you had some lately?" Draco wanted to know.

Harry frowned and looked away. He didn't want to make Draco feel bad. The first week he had spent here was horrible. Both day and night.

"I'm so sorry," Draco said making his own conclusions.

"It's okay," Harry whispered. "You didn't know me then."

"It will never be okay to me but I cannot undo things that had already happened. I'm here for you now," Draco pointed out.

Harry smiled again, "And that's all that matters."

-oxo-

After dinner Harry went to his room. He pulled out his quills and then started to cut a new tip the way Lucius had shown him in the morning. After that, he wrote some lines to see if it was better, and it was. Harry grinned. Why nobody ever told him how to prepare a quill was beyond him.

While he worked on his other quills Lucius knocked on the door.

"Come in," Harry said without looking up.

"What are you doing?" Lucius asked as he entered and then walked over to the child.

"I'm preparing my quills," Harry answered with a small smile.

"Oh? How is it working?" Lucius asked surprised.

"Much better, thank you for showing me," the boy said happily.

Lucius smiled back "I'm glad you appreciate my advice. How is your hand?"

"I don't know. I'm used to the pain. I never thought much about it," Harry admitted. The Dursleys wouldn't have listened to his complaints about a hurting hand and so Harry had learned to live with it.

Lucius conjured up a chair and sat down next to the boy. Taking Harry's hand into his he said. "You shouldn't be used to any pain but I know I can't change that. I hope in the future you will come to me, if you are hurt. Tomorrow Greg will come and correct your ill-healed bones. It will be painful but after that, you should be free of pain."

Harry gulped and looked down.

"What is it, Harry?" Lucius asked immediately.

"I'm afraid of this re-breaking thing," Harry admitted.

"I know, but it is necessary. The pain you constantly feel will only get worse the older you get, if we don't do something against that now. It will be an uncomfortable morning but it will last for a maximum of six hours and then it is over. Your hand will stop giving you troubles, you will be able to take a deep breath without a stabbing pain in your chest and you can learn how to dance to impress the girls, without a hurting knee."

Harry sighed. "That sounds nice," he agreed and then a thought struck him and he looked up with an excited face, "I could start drawing. I always wanted to do that but I couldn't hold a pencil long enough, it got unbearable."

Lucius smiled, trying his best to hide the sadness he felt at this statement. "I promise I will stay with you tomorrow the whole time. You don't have to go through the ordeal alone."

Once again tears glistered in Harry's eyes but they didn't fall this time. "Thank you," Harry said and then leant forwards and wrapped his arms around Lucius. It was the first time Harry sought comfort from the other man on his own accord. Lucius couldn't be more happy. He hugged Harry back and pressed his cheek against the black hair of the boy.

-oxo-

After Lucius told Harry to be ready for bed in half an hour, he went to see his other son. Draco sat on the windowsill of his room staring into the setting sun.

"Hello, my Dragon. How are you?" he asked after he was told to come in.

"Hi, Dad. I don't know," Draco answered while shrugging one shoulder. "Harry asked about Mother this afternoon."

Lucius stiffened at that. He had hoped Harry would talk with Severus or himself about that. It didn't cross his mind that Harry would ask Draco about Narcissa. He walked over to his son and placed his hand over Draco's. "Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yes. Of course. I'm worried about Harry though," Draco confessed and leant his head against his father's shoulder.

"What exactly are you worried about?" Lucius wanted to know.

Draco frowned while he said, "His life seemed to be so bleak."

"I agree that Harry's life wasn't easy but what make you call it bleak?"

"Did you know he met the Dark Lord last school year?"

Once again Lucius froze. "He. What?"

Draco turned around to look at his father. "You know about Professor Quirrell. He acted strange last year. It turned out he shared his body with the Dark Lord, who wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Harry and his friends tried to stop him and Harry ended up face to face with that monster. Harry believes that it will not take long until the Dark Lord comes back and he is afraid that he will lose us to the monster like he lost his parents. He even has nightmares about him. I mean, weren't his relatives bad enough? Does he have to worry about the Dark Lord, too?"

Lucius sighed as he realised that he had just had scratched the surface of Harry's problems till now. He still didn't know what exactly the boy went through at the Dursleys but as it seems they are not Harry's only problem.

"Thank you for telling me, Draco. It may be that Harry opens up to you easier. If you are overwhelmed with some of his topics, please do come to me."

Draco nodded and after that silence stretched through the room. Finally the boy asked, "Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you tell me about Mum when Harry gets better," Draco asked and then hold his breath.

Lucius frowned, "What do you want to know?"

"What really happened to her and if you think she is still alive. I know you didn't spell the portrait in the living room."

"Oh, Draco. Do you really need to know?" Lucius asked with pain in his voice. He hadn't been aware that Draco figured out the unmoving portrait.

"Not right now, Dad, but yes. I want to know the truth," Draco said and locked eyes with his father.

"Of course, I will tell you. It's your right to know," Lucius found himself saying.

"Thank you, Dad." Draco said and then leant his head back against his father's shoulder and watched the colourful sky darken.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to spank me today?" Draco asked in a small voice.

Lucius grimaced, "Do I have to? I know I promised you four spankings but there has been so much that has happened since then and you've changed a lot. I really don't see any reason to go on with your punishment. You even gave Mr. Paw to Harry. You loved that cat."

"You don't have to do it, Dad. I have learned enough about Harry to know I will never ever do that to him again. And about Mr. Paw... Yes I liked that cat a lot but since I got Drago I didn't spend enough time with Mr. Paw. Harry will take better care of him. Mr. Paw earned a better place than being number two. Harry has so little. There is no single toy in his room."

"We will have to change that, won't we?" Lucius asked.

"I love you, Dad."

"And I love you. Come here," Lucius said and picked Draco up. Draco squeaked in delight, as his father spun him around and then deposited him on his bed.

"It's bedtime, young man."

"But I still need to brush my teeth," Draco argued.

"Then see to it. I will check on Harry and then tuck you in, so be ready by then," Lucius said and left.

Harry was already in his bed, hugging Mr. Paw to his chest and a small smile on his face. His eyes were closed and he didn't react as Lucius entered, so the man assumed he was asleep.

Lucius watched the sleeping boy for a while, then he bent down and kissed Harry's forehead. "Sleep well, my Phoenix," he whispered, then turned off the light and left the room.

Harry's smile grew and he sighed deeply. Turning around he fell asleep for real.

Draco was ready as his dad re-entered. "How is my brother?" the boy wanted to know.

"Asleep," Lucius answered.

Draco nodded to himself. Then he picked up his stuffed dragon and hugged the green animal in a similar manner as Harry. Lucius smiled at that sight. His boys were already acting like brothers.

"Good night, Dad," Draco said smiling.

"Good night, my Dragon," Lucius answered and kissed Draco's forehead.

"Daaad, I'm twelve," Draco pointed out.

"And? You will never be too old for a goodnight kiss from your father, will you?" Lucius replied and grinned.

Draco wiped his forehead dramatically with his sleeve but he grinned, too.


	5. Starting the Healing

Thx again to my beta-reader Jasper's Mom. If you are interested, check out her own stories (Her profile is: ...u/3753538/Jasper-s-Mom)

 _ **Chapter 5 – Starting the Healing**_

Harry looked at the food in front of him and grimaced. He was too nervous about the bone-rebreaking thing to stomach any of this.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Lucius asked already guessing what the problem could be.

Harry cringed but then looked up and said in a very small voice, "I'm not hungry."

Draco looked up at this and as he took in the pale face of his little brother, he lost his own appetite.

Lucius sighed. "You need your strength for later. You should really try to eat something." It broke Lucius heart to see the glittering tears in the boy's eyes.

Harry bit his lip and nodded. He took a bite of the toast and swallowed it but then he placed it back onto his plate trying hard to blink back his tears.

"It's okay, Harry. I'm sorry. Tomorrow you can have a stomach soothing potion but for today Healer Greg asked me not to give you any potions. If you really cannot eat anything, let it be. There is no reason to push you, if you are going to throw up again," Lucius said and pulled Harry onto his lap encircling him with his arms.

As the man looked up, he noticed that Draco also had tears in his eyes. He opened one arm and invited his other son to come to him, too. Draco gladly jumped up and then hugged his Dad and Harry at the same time.

As Severus entered the dining room he found the trio cuddled together.

"Severus, my friend. Right on time for the cuddling session," Lucius said with a small sad smile.

"No, thank you," Severus declined. His eyes wandered over to the table and ended on Harry's plate. There lay a dry slice of toast with one single bite in it. Sighing he turned back to Lucius who just shrugged helplessly.

"Dobby," Severus called and within an eye-blink the house elf popped into view. "What can Dobby do for Master Snape?"

"I have a recipe I want you to make for Harry," with these words Severus handed the elf a piece of parchment.

Dobby scanned the recipe with curious eyes and then bowed and disappeared. A few minutes later a steaming bowl appeared on the table. It was a bowl of rice pudding with a little touch of honey. Harry's mother had loved to eat that. And when she was nervous it was the only thing she was able to stomach.

"Harry?" Severus called the boy who looked up from his comfortable place on Lucius' lap. "I want you to try this. If you don't like it it's okay but I wish you to give it a try, okay?"

Severus had taken Harry's vacated seat and shove the bowl towards the boy. Harry took it and looked at the strange substance with sceptical eyes. Carefully he scooped a little bit onto the spoon and then tasted it.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. This was delicious. "What's that?" he asked in wonder. Severus smiled and congratulated himself for his idea. "This was your mother's favourite meal when being nervous. It's rice pudding with honey."

At this Harry was taken aback. He looked at the bowl with awe. Nonetheless all too soon Harry felt full. A little disappointed Harry lowered his spoon. "I'm sorry," he sighed.

"Don't be. I'm glad you liked it," Severus said with an encouraging smile.

"Me too, Harry. You seemed to be more relaxed now. It's good to know that you have at least a little bit in your stomach," Lucius said and hugged Harry once again.

"Can I have the rest?" Draco asked, really curious how this mysterious kind of meal would taste.

"You _may_ ," Harry said and grinned at his brother. Draco rolled his eyes. "Not you, too," he said theatrically but then he took the bowl Harry passed on to him.

At the first spoon he grimaced. "uag... and you like that?" he asked shocked. At Draco's funny face Harry snickered. Draco fixed Harry with a playful glare which caused Harry to laugh out loud. Severus and Lucius exchanged a smile. It was so rare to hear Harry laughing.

All too soon for Harry's taste the floo flared and Healer Greg stepped through.

-oxo-

Draco and Severus sat in the library huddled together. Severus was reading a story to the boy, while they waited for any news about Harry. Both looked up enquiring as Lucius finally joined them. The man looked exhausted. "He fell asleep," he said and sat down.

"Was he in much pain?" Draco asked worried.

"He didn't cry out once but yes, I think he had been," Lucius said. The picture of Harry's face distorted in pain and his eyes glittering with tears was burned into his mind now. He always thought that Draco reacted over-dramatically to any sort of pain but now he found he preferred that to the silent suffering he witnessed just moments ago.

"I read to him the first pages of _The Hobbit_. I hope it was okay," Lucius asked Severus who answered,

"No problem at all."

Still Lucius went on, "It was the only storybook in his room. I don't believe he understood anything I read to him but it helped him to finally fall asleep and escape his pain. Healer Greg thinks that Harry will be out for at least an hour and he promised, that the pain will be easier to cope with when Harry wakes up again."

Severus nodded. He knew what it felt like to have his bones corrected and it was true; the first hour was the worst.

Draco just shook his head. He couldn't understand how someone could bear so much pain. He was sure he would be insane by now, if he would have to live Harry's life. "Can I... erm... _May_ I sit with him?" he asked.

Lucius gave a weak smile at Draco's self correction. Then he answered, "If you like to watch a sleeping person, then I think it would be okay. Just don't wake him up."

"I won't," Draco assured.

-oxo-

Draco watched Harry with a sad expression. The black haired boy looked anything but relaxed, as he should while sleeping. Then Draco looked around the room. It was so unbelievingly empty. No cosy corner, no toys, no pictures on the wall, no books beside the schoolbooks and the one Severus left here for Harry. And he swore to himself that he will do something against this emptiness but at first he had to find out what Harry would like.

A soft whimper brought Draco out of his thoughts again. Harry's face was contorted in pain and tears leaked out of the corner of his eyes.

Draco felt like crying, too. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of Harry's face and whispered. "Soon it will be over, little bro. Just hold on a little longer."

Harry unconsciously leaned into Draco's soft touch and sighed. The muscles of Harry's face relaxed a little. Draco smiled sadly at this, not understanding why he suddenly felt such a strong protectiveness towards Harry. "If only I would have known that you were in constant pain last year, I would have dragged you to Uncle Severus to make him take away your pain sooner. Everything could have been better. Rest assured from now on I will keep a close eye on you. I will watch out for you. My little brother," Draco whispered nearly inaudibly and then he jerked as he noticed Harry was looking straight at him.

Nobody said anything but Harry moved over and made room for Draco on his bed. Draco smiled and wasted no time to hop onto the bed next to Harry. The black haired boy sighed deeply and fell asleep immediately. Draco just laid next to him staring onto the ceiling smiling to himself. First he was scandalised by the thought, that Harry had heard him, but now he was glad. Harry _should_ know that he has a brother now looking out for him.

As Lucius went up to Harry's room to see at the child, he found two sleeping boys in Harry's bed. It was such a heart-warming sight that a traitorous tear escaped him. Luckily nobody saw it.

-xox-

It was a strange feeling being without any pain. Harry felt like being numb all over. Every now and then he rubbed parts of his body just to make sure he was still capable of feeling something.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked concerned as he watched Harry rubbing his chest.

Harry smiled in response, "Yes. I just can't believe the pain is finally gone. It's odd not feeling it anymore."

"Shouldn't it feel great?" Draco wondered aloud.

"I guess it is but I need to get used to it," Harry said in an apologetic tone. Was he a freak because he wasn't overjoyed right now? Obviously Draco expected more positive reaction from him.

He opened his mouth to reply, only to get cut off by the blond, "Don't you dare say _'I'm sorry'_. It's me who is sorry. I have no idea how you were feeling before and I don't know how you are feeling right now. So I have no right to judge you. I can't even imagine how someone in your place would feel, so please forgive me for not understanding any of this, okay?"

At that Harry smiled again. "Okay."

Both boys were out in the garden. They had been walking around a bit and then sat down in the shadow of a big tree. Harry looked over the grounds back to the house. It was so big. Everything on the Malfoy estate was big. The flower garden was beautiful and the lawn between the tree they sat under and the house was large enough to play football.

Still Harry knew that he had just seen a small part of it all. Draco had talked about a pond near the house were they could go swimming and he mentioned a forest, that also belonged to the grounds of the Malfoy estate. He also told Harry about a stable with horses but Harry wasn't sure if it also belonged to the Malfoys or if it was just near the estate.

"You know, this tree is well built. Wouldn't it be perfect for a tree house?" Harry wondered as he looked up at the branches above him.

"What's a tree house?" Draco wondered, he never had heard this term before.

"A small wooden house built between the branches, with a ladder to get in and out. A house just for kids to play in," Harry explained. Aunt Marge had a tree house in her garden but Harry wasn't allowed to get in. Since then he had wished for his own tree house.

Draco watched Harry's eyes gleaming as he explained what a tree house was. Draco was sure it was something from the Muggle's world but it did sound like fun. It never occurred to him to have a wooden house in a tree.

"We could ask Dad, maybe he will allow us to have a tree house," Draco suggested intrigued by the idea.

"That would be great," Harry said with sparkling eyes.

Suddenly Dobby popped into existence next to the boys, which caused Harry to startle violently.

"Dobby is very sorry," the elf apologized immediately, "Dobby didn't intend to give Master Harry such a fright, Dobby was about to inform young masters that the dinner is ready, Master Malfoy asked you to come back."

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said smiling to reassure the worried house elf that everything was fine.

With sudden tears in his eyes and a deep bow Dobby disappeared again.

"Have I said something wrong?" Harry wondered confused.

"No, but normally we don't thank Dobby, when he is just doing his job," Draco explained a bit arrogant.

Harry shook his head bemused, "Why not? If he is doing his job well, shouldn't he know that he is doing it well?"

"He is _expected_ to do his job well," Draco said, as if it would explain everything.

Harry fell silent at this. He couldn't help comparing himself with the elf. He would have been very glad if anybody would have thanked him at least once for all the chores he did for the Dursleys. He also had been expected to do his job well and Harry was longing for a little recognition for his work but of course it never came.

"Look, Harry. Dobby doesn't expect us to thank him, he is glad if he can do something useful. It's the nature of a house elf," Draco explained further as he saw the shadow crossing Harry's face.

"Still, thanking him won't hurt us but would make him feel even more useful," Harry said in a nearly hurt tone of voice.

Draco was at a loss. Obviously he had hurt Harry but he didn't understand how. Little did he know, that Harry grew up like a house elf.

-oxo-

During the dinner neither of the boys said anything, which caused Lucius to frown. "How was your afternoon? What were the two of you up to?"

"We walked around a bit but it was too hot, so we sat under the tree most of the time," Draco explained.

"Did anything happen?" Lucius continued to ask.

"No. Why?" Draco asked innocently.

Lucius frowned. He knew this tone all too well. "Harry? What about you?"

"I'm fine," came the standard reply which caused Lucius to frown deeper.

"Don't take me for a fool. I can see that there is something bothering you two," Lucius said in a very stern voice, which caused Harry to jump in his seat and made Lucius to regret his harsh tone immediately.

"I'm sorry, Dad. We were just disagreeing earlier, if you can even call it that," Draco finally admitted.

"About what?" Lucius wondered.

"House elves," Draco said.

"House elves?" Lucius asked, very much aware now of Harry's life at his relatives.

His solicitor had sped up the arrest of the Dursleys, since they had Harry's medical scan as proof now, and they had already been questioned under Veritaserum. While the boys were outside Lucius had been reading a copy of the protocol of their questioning. Both Dursleys need to face a trail very soon. Something he needed to discuss with Harry, because he most probably will need to make a statement.

Before Lucius mind could drift away too far, Draco's words brought him back, "He thanked Dobby for informing us, that the dinner was ready and was confused about Dobby's reaction. I explained him that we usually don't thank Dobby, but he said we should," Draco explained.

"I see," Lucius said and then he called "Dobby!"

Dobby bowed deep as he appeared and asked, "What can Dobby do for Master Malfoy?"

"Tell me, do you feel bad for us not thanking you for all your work?" Lucius asked and watched Harry's reaction to his question. The boy looked up with a shocked expression.

"No, Sir. You don't have to thank Dobby at all. Dobby is glad to serve you. You allowing Dobby to serve you is more than enough praise to someone like me," Dobby answered unsure what was expected from him.

Harry had tears in his eyes at these words. Even if Harry had grown up like a house elf, he never was that excited about his chores.

"Would you allow Harry to thank you, whenever he feels like it?" Lucius asked, seeing just one way to solve the problem.

Dobby looked unsure but as he noticed Harry's tears he said, "If Master Harry wish to do so and Master Malfoy doesn't mind him doing so, Dobby has no problem with it. Dobby just want to point out that it will make no difference in my service to you. Dobby is very proud to be allowed to serve the Malfoys."

"Do you have any questions, Harry?" Lucius asked but Harry just shook his head, still not understanding the eagerness of the small creature to serve someone.

"Thank you, Dobby!" with these words Lucius dismissed the elf not realising that he himself had thanked the elf right now.

Dobby bowed deep and vanished, before anyone would see his proud smile. It seems, things were going from good to even better, since the new young master came to the Malfoys. Dobby didn't lie about not expecting gratitude but he couldn't deny the feeling of proud when hearing someone thanking him either.

Draco was astonished. He never had heard his father thanking the house elf before. Maybe Harry had a point. It didn't look like his Dad was in any way hurt for just saying 'thank you'.

Harry watched Lucius with wide eyes. He also hadn't missed the words of gratitude from the elder Malfoy.

As Lucius finally noticed two pair of eyes watching him he asked "What? Have I suddenly grown a second head?"

"No," Draco said, "but you thanked him."

"Did I?" Lucius asked, "Well, I guess I did. Obviously our new family member is already very influential." At this Lucius winked at Harry who gave a small smile in response.

-oxo-

"I have to talk to the two of you," Lucius said after he led his two boys towards the living room.

"Again?" Draco asked as he took the same place he had the day before, with Harry next to his side.

"Indeed. I know it is a little late, Harry, but I want to celebrate your birthday," Lucius said with a smile.

"My... my... birthday?" Harry asked bemused.

Lucius frowned at that, wondering if the boy even knew when his birthday was. "It was at the end of July. It isn't that long ago that we couldn't celebrate it, is it?"

"No, but... nobody... I..." Harry stuttered.

"Don't tell me you never had a birthday party," Draco said scandalised.

"Erm... well. No, I haven't. Before Hogwarts I didn't even had friends to celebrate with and my relatives didn't celebrate it because freaks aren't-" Harry wasn't able to finish this sentence, because Draco clapped his hand over Harry's mouth.

"You. Are. No. Freak." he pointed out very clearly. "These poor excuses of your relatives are the freaks. Understood?" Draco asked sternly in a perfect imitation of his father. Harry nodded his head, as he was still unable to talk.

Lucius watched the exchange between the boys with a sad smile. He knew, it will take Harry some time to understand the full meaning behind Draco's words. Right now the abuse was all Harry really knew, these few days in their family was nothing compared to the years of abuse.

"We need to celebrate your birthday. We will give you the party of your life!" Draco said enthusiastically and finally released Harry's mouth again. Then Draco stopped dead. "Oh no," he said and his face fell.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"We need to invite Granger and Weasley," he said pulling a face.

At that Harry burst out laughing.

"You like that, don't you? You like making my life miserable," Draco complained half-heartedly.

Still smiling Harry explained, " I don't need a 'party of my life'. It will be okay if it is just a family party."

"Really? You don't want your friends with you?" Draco asked unbelievingly. _How can someone celebrate without friends?_

"Right now, family is more important to me," Harry said with a soft smile but then a shadow crossed his face, "My _friends_ can wait, obviously," he whispered.

Draco and Lucius exchanged a questioning look.

"Harry?" Lucius asked wondering what the matter was.

The boy look down, wishing he hadn't said anything. It just slipped his lips. He was confused about his two friends. They promised to write weekly and Harry didn't got one single letter from them till now. Not even on his birthday. He didn't understand what was wrong.

He had hoped against hope, that he may meet them in Diagon Alley. That was one of the reasons why he stole himself into London every few days. As he had done that day he had ran into Draco. This was also one of the reasons why he had finally snapped and hit Draco as the blond haired boy had started to insult them. He was confused and feared that Draco could have been right about his friends.

He couldn't understand why they were not writing as they had promised. How often had he thought he had finally found a friend and then suddenly from one day to the other said _friend_ didn't want to be friends with him anymore?

"Harry?" Lucius asked again with a worried voice, as he saw tears rolling down the boy's cheeks. He stood up and walked over to the child. He pulled Harry up to sit down himself and then placed Harry on his lap encircling him with his arms. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know," Harry whispered. "I don't know, why they don't write me. They promised they would. Maybe... maybe they aren't my friends anymore."

"I can't believe that," Draco said not understanding Harry's logic. Why would Weasley and Granger give up their friendship? Maybe they are just too stupid to send a letter. "Why would you say that after all what the three of you went through?"

"It wouldn't be a first," Harry said and looked at Draco with desperate eyes. "Every friend I ever had, turned his back on me in the end."

Draco bit his lips. He couldn't believe that he of all people would defend the two stupid Gryffindors. "I don't believe that this is the case with Granger and Weasley. They idolise you."

"What if their parents don't allow them to be friends with me? I endangered their lives after all. I'm a danger to everyone who is close to me," Harry said while more tears streamed down his face.

"That's not true," Draco disagreed vehemently shaking his head.

"But I am," Harry pointed out, "If Voldemort comes back, I will be a main target. Everyone around me will be in danger."

"Harry," Lucius said in a serious voice, "If the Dark Lord ever comes back, the whole wizarding world will be in danger. Everyone knows the closer you stick together the better the chance to survive. Do you really think, if he would ever get you, that he would stop killing other people? People like the Miss Granger are also main targets. Her survival would be improved, if she sticks closer to you. And you can benefit from her too. She _is_ a very bright witch, after all."

Surprised Harry look up at Lucius, "You think?"

"I wouldn't have said it, if I wouldn't be sure of it," the man said and hugged Harry tightly.

"Maybe someone blocked your mail?" Lucius said after some thinking. "Did you ever get any letters from other wizards?"

"Just the Hogwarts letter. It drove Uncle Vernon insane. He didn't want me reading the letter and tried everything to keep the letters from me but just more letters arrived and then we fled. Hargid found us though and he gave me my letter personally and then took me to Diagon Alley," Harry told Lucius.

"Stupid muggles," Lucius snorted but then he went on, "I will see into your mail problem. Maybe your Headmaster knows something about that."

"So you think Ron and Hermione had written me but I just didn't receive the letters?" Harry asked.

"I think it is more likely than them turning their backs on you," Lucius said.

Harry sighed and then leaned his head against Lucius chest. "Thank you, Dad!" he whispered.

Lucius nearly gasped in surprise but then a smile spread across his face. Draco smiled too. He leaned against his father's side, wondering once more how Harry could bear all the pain in his life. Fate didn't go easy on his little brother.

-oxo-

"Lucius, what can I do for you? How are the boys?" Severus asked surprised.

"Would you care to step through for a glass of scotch?" Lucius invited.

Severus nodded, "I will be with you in a few minutes."

True to his words just a moment later Severus stepped through the floo and joined Lucius in the living room. Taking his drink he sat down and studied his friend, who seemed to be very worried. A nearly constant state his friend was in, since Harry came into his life.

"What is troubling you?" Severus asked.

Lucius sighed shaking his head, "I asked Harry if he wanted to celebrate his birthday and we reached the topic _friends._ We found out, that Harry didn't receive any mail from his friends over the summer although they promised to write him regularly. The poor boy thought, that they have turned their backs on him. I believe though, that someone blocked his mail. There is just one person I can think of who this _someone_ could be and I wondered if you could find out something about that."

"I see. I will contact Albus as soon as possible. He probably blocked Harry's mail to protect the boy from his fan mail. I'm sure these first few years after the war Harry would have been overflown with letters and presents. Given that the boy lived with muggles it would have drawn too much attention," Severus explained.

At this Lucius looked pensively. That sounded indeed reasonable but he still was angry with the old fool, for leaving Harry with these monsters.

"They never celebrated Harry's birthday," he said. "I wonder how Harry spent all the other festivities like Christmas or Easter. I'm sure they celebrate it in one way or the other, as they have a child of their own."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Severus admitted in a sad voice.

"It's so appalling what they did to the child. In the end I'm glad he hit Draco, otherwise he would still live with these horrible people."

The two friends sat in silence for a while but then Severus said. "I got the potion for his eyes ready. I can bring it to you tomorrow. I also brewed a Dreamless Sleep potion but he cannot have it on a regular basis."

"Yes, I know. Thank you. It's really useful to have a potion master as a friend," Lucius said with a smile.

Severus just nodded his head and took a sip from his drink.

-xox-

Draco woke up in the middle of the night. Not sure what had woken him, he spelled a dim sphere of light to look around his room but didn't found anything out of place.

He was about to distinguish the light again as he heard a faint distressed voice. Frowning he strained his ears to hear what was said. He could make out words like 'no' and 'I'm sorry' and 'please don't' and suddenly it hit him. Harry was having a nightmare.

He got up, pulled on his slippers and dressing gown and then hurried to Harry's room with the sphere of light following him. His brother was rolled up into a tight ball. His hairs were plastered with sweat against the forehead.

"No," Harry moaned once again. "please, stop."

"Harry," Draco called in a low voice and shook Harry's shoulder with the result that Harry recoiled from the touch and screamed in fear.

"Harry, wake up! It's me, Draco. You are just dreaming!" said Draco, this time loud and clear without touching his brother again.

After countless unsuccessful attempts to wake up the dreaming boy, Draco was distressed. He know a Malfoy doesn't cry but he really felt like it. "I'll go and get Dad," he explained although it didn't look like Harry was hearing him.

"Not necessary. I'm already here," Lucius said as he entered Harry's room.

"Dad," Draco said relieved turning to his father and hugging him. "I can't wake him up."

"It's okay, Dragon. I'm here now," Lucius tried to calm his son.

Draco nodded and then stepped back. He watched his father approaching Harry. The man sat down on Harry's bed and pulled the boy into a tight hug. At first Harry screamed and struggled to get free but Lucius just tightened his arms whispering soothing words into Harry's ear. After some time the struggling stopped and then Harry started to sob, gripping the front of Lucius night shirt for dear life.

Draco sat down next to his father and rubbed his brother's back hoping to help the other boy to calm down again.

Finally a soft voice started to apology, "I'm so sorry for waking you up. I-"

"Ssssh. It's okay. Calm down," Lucius reassured.

"But I'm supposed to stay quite during night. I'm not allowed to wake everybody up and I don't want a beating, not on top of this dream," Harry cried desperately, obviously still not entirely awake.

"No, Harry, no. You are not at the Dursleys. You are with us, Draco and me. Nobody is angry at you and nobody will beat you for a nightmare," Lucius said hugging the boy more closely to his chest, while fighting against his own tears. His heart clenching painfully, because he knew he had spanked Harry without a logical reason that dreadful first week. But even then he was sure he wouldn't have done it for a nightmare.

"Oh, Harry. I will never spank you for a nightmare," he whispered more to himself.

Draco hung his head. A wave of guilt washed over him as he caught his father's words. His father still felt guilty for what he had done to Harry and Draco felt guilty because he was the reason for all these wrongful punishments.

It took Harry a while but finally he calmed down again.

"Dad?" he asked in a soft voice that caught Lucius attention immediately. "I want that blood adoption."

Not daring to believe his ears Lucius asked, "Are you sure?"

"I am. I don't want to live anywhere else. I... I love you and Draco. You do so much for me. Nobody should be able to take me away from you," Harry explained and his fear was clear in his voice.

"Was your dream about that?" Lucius wondered.

Harry fell silent again but then he gave a small nod.

"Oh, Harry. I won't allow anybody to take you away regardless of your decision," Lucius pointed out.

After this Harry was silent for a moment but then he dared to admit, "But I want to belong to you, if it is still okay."

Lucius tightened his arms again while he answered, "Of course it is. I'm very pleased about your decision. What do you think, Draco?"

Harry cast a fearful look at Draco.

Draco frowned, "I believe I told you already how I feel about that, didn't I, _brother_?"

"Yeah, but you didn't know then-" Harry started only to get interrupted by Draco.

"What? That I may be woken up in the middle of the night because of you having a nightmare?"

Harry nodded his head and Draco rolled his eyes. "And I can guarantee you, that I will never have a nightmare and I will never wake you up in the middle of the night?"

At that Harry blinked confused.

The blond haired boy locked eyes with Harry, while he said in a stern voice, "I can not, Harry. Nor can you. Nightmares happen. Some have more and some have less but even I, pampered prince of Slytherin house, am not safe from night terrors. Do you still want to be my brother, if I would wake you up in the middle of the night on a regular basis?"

"Of course!" Harry said without thinking.

"See?" Draco asked, "I feel the same way. I want to be here for you if I can, even in the middle of the night." And to bring his point home he snatched Mr. Paw up from where it had landed on the floor and put him back into Harry's arms.

Harry smiled through fresh tears hugging the stuffed cat to his chest.

"Are you okay now?" Lucius asked the black haired boy.

"Yes, thank you," Harry nodded gratefully. Never in his life had someone stayed with him after a nightmare and waited until he have calmed down.

When Vernon had been woken up because of Harry having a nightmare he had come over to Harry to wake him up with a slap in the face. Afterwards he yelled at Harry until the rest of the house, if not even the neighbourhood, would be wide awake and of course Harry got blamed for it.

In Hogwarts every now and then Ron had woken him up and told him not to worry about having a nightmare but most of the time the redhead slept too deep, to even wake up.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep?" Lucius words brought Harry out of his musing.

Harry nodded and stood up from Lucius lap. The man followed suit and stretched his body. "Well then, good night boys."

"Night, Dad!" they said in unison and then snickered.

As soon as Lucius left the room Draco fixed Harry with a stern glare. "Are you sure you will be able to fall asleep? You told me you don't sleep after a nightmare."

Harry gave an apologising grin, "I don't know but I don't want to keep you from _your_ sleep."

"I fear I will not be able to sleep knowing that you are not," Draco pointed out his dilemma.

"But what do you want to do?" Harry wondered.

At that Draco shrugged his shoulder, "I will make sure that you sleep. So, lay down and move over."

Harry smiled at that and jumped back into bed. He shifted to the side and held his blanket up for the other boy. Draco returned the smile and laid himself next to Harry.

"You know, I always had been wishing for a brother to share beds with him when I can't sleep," Draco confessed and extinguished the sphere of light.

Harry couldn't be more happy. He smiled into the darkness and his eyes felled close on their own accord. As Draco noticed the deep calm breath of his sleeping brother he also allowed himself to fell back asleep.


	6. A Little Bit Of Malfoy

_...Harry couldn't be happier. He smiled into the darkness and his eyes fell close on its own accord. As Draco noticed the deep calm breath of his sleeping brother he also allowed himself to fall back asleep._

 _ **Chapter 6 – A Little Bit Of Malfoy**_

That is how Lucius found his boys the next morning. Severus came through the floo with the eyesight-correction potion and Lucius wanted to know, if Harry was already awake. He smiled happily and was about to turn around as a sleepy voice stopped him, "G'mornig, Dad"

At that Lucius turned back and walked towards the bed. "Good morning, Dragon. I wondered why you would sleep so long but then, our night was a bit interrupted, wasn't it?"

Draco looked up with a small smile. "I've been awake for a hour by now but I didn't want to wake Harry."

Harry had his arm wrapped around Draco and had pinned the blond haired boy to the bed. "Obviously he mistook me for Mr. Paw," Draco whispered unconcerned.

"M' sorry," Harry mumbled in his sleep.

"Oh, shut up," Draco crumpled playfully which caused Harry to giggle.

Slowly the brilliant green eyes opened and Harry smiled shyly up at Lucius.

"Good morning, Phoenix. I take it the rest of the night was okay?"

Harry nodded blushing lightly. "Thanks to Draco."

"Severus came over. He is ready with the eyesight-correction potion. I wish you to be presentable in half an hour. Can you manage that?"

"Yeah, of course," Harry answered only to get corrected by Lucius, "It's 'yes' not 'yeah'."

Harry smiled apologetic, "Yes, of course."

With that Lucius nodded approvingly and left the room.

"Sometimes he can really be annoying with all that corrections," Draco muttered but Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

"He just wants us to speak properly," the black haired boy answered unconcerned.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I know that but it sucks when he does it even before you are fully awake."

"Maybe he wants us speaking properly even when we are asleep?" Harry wondered aloud.

At that Draco grimaced, "Yeah, as if anybody would hear us in the middle of the night."

"It's 'yes' not 'yeah', Draco," Harry said and got a pillow into the face as response. Before Harry could return the gesture the blond haired boy attacked Harry by tickling him all over the body. At that Harry squealed, "No. Stop, Draco, please."

As soon as Harry escaped Draco's tickling hands he bolted to the door and ran down the corridor. The other boy was at his heels.

"Noooo, Draco. Stop!" Harry yelled as he cast a look over his shoulder and saw the other approaching.

Harry was about to hurry down the steps but at the bottom of the stairs stood an angry looking Lucius with crossed arms. Harry stopped dead and all colour drained from his face as he realised his mistake. He swayed and stumbled backwards and was caught by Draco before he could fall onto his bottom.

"Oh, hi, Dad!" Draco grinned innocently but, as he felt the dead weight in his arms, he took in Harry's pale face and lowered his brother gently to the floor. "Harry? Are you okay?"

Harry was unresponsive, just starring into space. Worried Draco looked at his dad, only to realize that even his father was in a kind of shock. "Dad?"

Lucius stood there and stared at Harry. He couldn't believe the intense reaction of the boy. Harry was paralysed with fear because of him. It cut deep into Lucius' heart. He knew it was his own fault but he had hoped they were over that dreadful first week after all that happened since then.

Severus came up behind Lucius and took in the scene. He had heard Harry's joyful screams before and wondered what had caused the sudden silence.

"Uncle Severus," Draco called to his godfather in a desperate voice.

Taking two steps at a time Severus bound up the stairs to the two boys.

"He doesn't react," Draco explained worriedly.

Severus crouched down and took Harry's shaking hands into his own. "Harry," he called the boy while stroking his thumbs over the back of Harry's hands.

At first the boy didn't seem to hear him. At the second call he blinked but still stared into space.

"I'm sorry," the boy finally whispered close to tears.

"It's okay. Everything is okay. Just breathe," Severus reassured the panicking child.

"I ran. I'm not allowed to run inside the house. I will get a spanking," Harry still whispered without really focusing on anything.

"No, you will not," Severus contradicted in a strong but calm voice, "Lucius has learned from his mistake. He will not punish you for running the way he did before. He may scold you and remind you about the house rules but he will not spank you for that."

Harry's whole body was trembling now and finally the tears started to fall. Draco wrapped his arms around his brother and rocked him slightly. "It's okay, Bro. Dad isn't angry any longer. I'm so sorry I chased you. I forgot about the not-running-rule myself. Dad may have been annoyed but he is not really angry. Not like back then. You have nothing to fear. Everything is okay."

Harry listened to Severus and Draco but he couldn't stop the scared feeling inside him. The look on Lucius' face just a few minutes before triggered all his bad memories from the first week at the Malfoys. He knew Lucius was different now but he had no idea what will lead him into a spanking and what not. And he wasn't sure if he would be able to take any spankings from Lucius anymore without breaking.

Unbeknown to him Lucius also realised that he will never be able to spank the boy again. He couldn't stand the fear in Harry's eyes. It hurt so deeply. While he watched his friend and his son talking to Harry he also realised that only he could take away Harry's fear of this kind of punishment.

Slowly he approached the small group and crouched down next to Severus. "I will not spank you, Harry," he said with a throaty voice, "I will _never_ spank you again, I promise. I cannot."

Harry blinked at him in confusion. "But I broke the rules," Harry whispered.

"I know but I don't want you to fear me. It hurts me, because I love you so much", Lucius admitted.

Blinking back fresh tears Harry freed his hands from Severus' light grip, and wrapped his arms around Lucius.

"Come here," Lucius whispered and took the boy into his arms. They all stood and Lucius carried Harry back into his room while Draco went into his own room followed by Severus.

Harry still cried softly into Lucius' shoulder as the man sat with the boy onto the bed. Minutes of silence passed until Harry hic-upped, "But what... if I'm really... bad?"

"Don't take me wrong, Harry. If you misbehave there will be punishment," Lucius pointed out.

"But no spa... spankings?"

"No spankings, no beatings, no raised hand against you or Draco. I fear it will trigger to much bad memories not only for you but for me either. Maybe scolding, groundings and chores or losing privileges, will be more appropriate, for boys of your age."

"And what will be my punishment for running?" Harry asked in a very small voice.

Lucius sighed he really wished to forget this whole incident. Then he fixed the boy with a stern glare and said "This." After a few seconds he stopped glaring and smiled softly.

Harry looked at Lucius with a frown. "I don't understand."

"My angry glare was your punishment," Lucius explained and he was glad that this time Harry didn't panic at look.

Blinking once again in confusion Harry declared, "That's not a punishment."

"It is. Moments ago it was my impression that it is the worst kind of punishment I could give you."

A small smile stole itself into Harry's face, as the boy understood the meaning behind the words. Lucius thought that triggering bad memories was already Harry's punishment?

"I'm sorry, I caused you to glare at me," Harry replied and looked up at Lucius with a meaningful look.

Lucius smile grew and he said, "You are forgiven."

-oxo-

Meanwhile in Draco's room the boy paced angrily. "Why did he has to ruin a perfect moment of fun?"

"Don't be unfair, Draco. He had no idea Harry would react that badly. Haven't you seen your father's face?" Severus asked.

Draco sighed and sat down onto his bed. "Of course I have seen it and I know he didn't mean to scold us. Father often glares angrily in a playful manner but Harry still doesn't know this side of him."

"And Lucius wasn't aware that it would trigger a panic attack. He was so happy to hear Harry squeal in joy. All he wanted was to join the fun," Severus explained.

Draco looked sad. He could remember countless times where his father had playfully glared at him, only to chase him afterwards and tickle him until he gave up in defeat. Sighing deeply he wondered, "Will Harry ever be able to react like a normal kid? I mean, will he ever be able to talk back for example?"

Severus arched an eyebrow, "I doubt he will ever be as insolent as you are but with time he will learn to read Lucius' facial expressions and gestures and he will learn when to hide and when to talk back. He will become more carefree but it will be a slow process. Even Lucius needs to learn how to handle himself around Harry. You and Harry are two different boys and you need different approaches."

"So you think I will still get spankings and Harry will get scared away with angry looks?" Draco asked.

"No. It's my belief that the punishment will be the same for the two of you. It's more what he is going to say to make you listen."

"Oh."

-oxo-

More than a half hour later the boys and the adults had their breakfast. After breakfast Lucius asked Harry to take the eyesight-correction potion and informed him that they will need to go to Diagon Alley to an optician. Harry assumed that after the potion he may need less strong glasses.

Before he drank the potion Severus warned him that he may feel a bit uncomfortable for a moment and if he felt nauseated he should tell him so.

Not at all looking forward to it but not wanting to disappoint anybody, Harry forced the potion down his throat with big gulps. Immediately he closed his eyes as a strange prickling started in his eyes. He wanted to rub the annoying sensation away but his hands got caught and Severus voice explained, "I know it's not a pleasant feeling but you should not rub your eyes right now. It will be over in a bit."

After a big sigh of relief Harry slowly opened his eyes again. The world was a blurry mess. He blinked a few times hoping to bring his surroundings back into focus but the blur didn't go away. Severus released Harry's hands and reached up to take down Harry's glasses.

"Better?" he asked studying Harry closely.

Harry's mouth fell open in astonishment. Without his glasses he could see better than before the potion with the glasses. "Wow," he whispered.

Only now Severus allowed himself to relax again. If Harry's face was any indication, then the potion had worked as it should have.

"I don't think I need any new glasses at all. I can see sharper than ever," Harry said happily.

"We will still see the optician today. Just because you see sharper doesn't mean you see perfectly. You will take an eyesight test there and then we will know for sure, okay?" Lucius explained.

"Okay. Thank you, Severus, for the potion. I really hated my glasses," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile.

"No problem at all," Severus answered. ' _You have no idea how much_ I _hated your glasses,'_ he thought to himself. It was astonishing what a difference it made to Harry's looks without these annoying metal frames on his nose. "Would you allow me to banish them for you?" he asked with a disgusted look at Harry's glasses.

Harry snickered and then nodded, "Of course. Will you accompany us to Diagon Alley?"

"I'm sorry but I have a lot of work till the next school year starts and besides that I will need to give some private lessons to a student of mine who is missing parts of basic knowledge of the fine art of potion brewing. For that I need to make lesson plans."

"Oh," Harry said realising that he too could use some private lessons but he didn't dare to ask Severus. He hung his head and missed the smiles of the others.

"By the way. How is your potion essay going?" Severus asked the child.

Harry blushed deeply and bit his lip. "Not as good as it should be," he whispered.

"And why is that?"

"Oh, will you stop," Draco shouted disgruntled and laid his arms protectively around Harry's shoulders.

At that, Harry carefully looked up. Not sure how Severus would react to such a show of disrespect. To his surprise Severus was smiling. His eyes wandered over to Lucius who was smiling, too. Harry frowned, had he missed something? Normally Lucius would be outraged at such an outburst, wouldn't he?

"Wasn't it you, who told me that Harry need time to adjust and learn how to read facial expressions? He has no clue what you are trying to hint, so spare him his confusion. He's had enough for one day, won't you agree?" Draco went on and Harry was surprised to see the adults exchanged a look of shame.

Not understanding what was going on Harry turned in his seat to look questioningly at Draco.

"Severus wanted to inform you, that he will give _you_ private lessons to make up for the way he treated you in his class, so that you have the chance to catch up with the curriculum of the first year and are perfectly prepared for your second year potions," Draco explained but Harry still looked confused.

"Come on, Harry," Draco whined, "Surly you understood what I have said. Severus will give _you_ private lessons. Therefore he needs to prepare himself and that's why he will not come with us to Diagon Alley."

"Really?" Harry turned back around to look at Severus.

"Really. I was informed that your summer essay was not to the Malfoy standard and I can blame nobody for that but myself. It wouldn't do my reputation as a potion master any good if I fail someone who may have the potential of an acceptable potion brewer. Would you like to sacrifice your free time to have some private lessons with me?" Severus asked.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't do my reputation as the saviour of the world any good, if I let an exceptional potion master down by making poor marks in his class, therefore it seems I'm in desperate need for some private lessons," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

"Brat," Severus scolded playfully.

And then Harry did something nobody in the room would have thought he would dare. He stuck out his tongue.

"Oh, is that how a Malfoy acts towards elders?" Severus asked and before Harry knew what was happening he found himself in a standing position both of his arms crossed over his stomach and held by his hands from behind.

"Well, Lucius. What do you think we should do with this rude brat of yours?" Severus asked, "Maybe some tickling is in order?"

"What? No!" Harry cried helplessly and tried to free himself.

"Yes, I agree some tickling would do the trick," Lucius said and came closer.

"Wait. No! Draco!" Harry turned to his brother for help.

"Well, Harry. You stuck out your tongue. Nobody can help you now. Nothing is as bad as sticking out your tongue," he said fighting hard to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again but please no tickling. Anything but tickling!"

"Hmm...," Lucius paused. "Anything?"

Harry nodded his head vigorously.

"Any suggestions?" Lucius asked Draco who made a very concentrating face for a while. "I know something but I would need you all for that," he said finally and Harry wondered what kind of cruelty he had come up with.

"Do enlighten us Master of Torture," Severus said.

"A group-hug!" the blond finally said and suddenly Harry was squeezed between three bodies. His arms were free again but he still couldn't move an inch. And he didn't _want_ to move an inch. Here he was in the middle of his new family playing joke-fully around.

"Drac, Dad, Sev! I need to breathe," Harry finally exclaimed.

"Breathing is totally overrated," Lucius said, "Hugging is much more important."

At that Severus chuckled, "Well, maybe we are overdoing it a bit."

He stepped back with a smirk giving Harry a little bit more room. Lucius also finally let go, with just Draco still having his arms around his brother.

"Draco, you can let go of me," Harry said laughing.

With a pout the blond haired boy stepped back. "But only if you promise to laugh more often."

Harry smiled, "Well, it shouldn't be all so hard now."

"I'm on the way then. Harry, tomorrow at nine sharp, I expect you to be ready for your first private lesson."

Harry saluted and said "Yes, sir! Tomorrow at nine. I will be ready!"

With a shake of his head he tousled through the boy's hair and smiled.

-Oxo-

As Harry stumbled out of the floo Lucius steady hand on his upper arm was the only thing keeping him from falling flat on his face.

"I see, I will also have to teach you how to travel per floo without losing your grace," Lucius said with a small smile before he shoved Harry out of the way to give Draco room, who stepped out of the floo as gracefully as it was expected from a Malfoy.

Draco grinned proudly and Harry was about to stick out his tongue at him but Lucius seemed to know what he was about to do and hissed at him, "Not here."

Harry jerked as if slapped and looked fearfully up at the man. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Lucius cringed inwardly. He realised that it will take a lot of patience to teach Harry how to behave as a Malfoy in public without frightening Harry. He wished nothing more than to take the boy into his arms and tell him that it was okay but a Malfoy doesn't show affection in public.

So Lucius just settled a hand on Harry's shoulder instead and explained in a low voice. "As much as I love your carefree and joyful behaviour it needs to be kept within the walls of Malfoy Manor, do you understand?"

Harry gulped and nodded but as Lucius kept looking at him, Harry answered verbally, "Yes, Sir."

"And you can cease your murderous glare, Draco. Or you can head back home," Lucius said in a stern voice.

"Sorry, Father!" Draco said and lowered his gaze.

"Well. Let's go. It's nearly time for Harry's appointment," with that Lucius led the boys through the Leaky Cauldron towards the passage that would allow them to enter Diagon Alley.

Harry was nervous. He wasn't sure if Lucius was angry with him. The man acted completely different now than Harry was used to in these last days. The caring fatherly look had vanished to give place to an arrogant nearly foreboding look. He really hoped he never had to act in such a way.

He also noticed the reactions to Lucius' aristocratic appearance. People tend to bend their heads in greeting as if they would bow to him. It made feel Harry uncomfortable but much worse were the reactions of people as they notice him in the company of Lucius. Their eyes would widen and then they would stare at his forehead to make sure if he was really Harry Potter or not.

As they finally reached their destination and left the busy street Harry sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked in a worried voice as he took in Harry's pale face.

Harry nodded and took some deep breaths to calm down his heartbeat.

"Good Morning!" a woman's voice greeted them warmly.

"Good Morning, Dr. Johnson," Lucius greeted back and then tapped Harry's and Draco's shoulder with his snake-shaped walking cane.

"Good Morning," the two boys greeted as one.

Dr. Johnson smiled at them and then asked, "Which of you is my client today?"

"Me," Harry answered shyly.

"No need to look so afraid. Will you come with me?" she asked still smiling, then she turned to Lucius and said, "Mr. Malfoy, the test will take at least fifteen minutes, do you want to wait, or do you need to run any other errands in the mean while."

The close to panic look on Harry's face showed clearly what Harry thought of being left alone.

"We will wait," Lucius answered immediately.

"Okay. There are some refreshments in the waiting room. If you need something else just call Susi, my house elf."

Lucius inclined his head "Thank you."

While Draco and Lucius took their seats in the waiting room, Harry was led into a small room without any window. The light was dimmed down a bit but it was bright enough to find your way through the room.

"Here, take the seat over there, if you would," Dr. Johnson said and pointed to a chair on the wall, opposite the door.

"I will ask you some questions first, then we will test your eyesight both muggle way and magical. Just to be sure. If you have any questions, just ask them."

Harry shook his head and gulped nervously. He had no idea what to expect and he wished nothing more then to get this test over with.

"You have really beautiful eyes but I'm sure you know that already. Mr. Malfoy told me you had worn glasses until recently and now you took an eyesight-correction potion, is that correct?"

Harry nodded and bit his lip.

"Why did you wait so long to take the potion?"

"I... erm... I lived with my muggle relatives before."

"I see. So then you know the muggle procedure already," Dr. Johnson concluded while she took notes.

"Erm... actually... no. I never had been taken to an optician," Harry admitted while lowering his head.

"No? But... How did you got your glasses?"

Harry blushed and bit his lip again.

Dr. Johnson frowned, took some notes and then looked up again with her warm smile, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter as you are no longer in need of those glasses. Shall we start the test?"

At that Harry jerked his head in a nod.

Oxo

In the meanwhile Lucius and Draco had a heated conversation in the waiting room.

"Why did you have to be so mean to Harry?" Draco accused.

"Mean?" Lucius frowned angrily, "When have I been mean to Harry?"

Draco glared, "You know. Back in the Leaky Cauldron. You frightened him."

"It's really hard not to frighten him. I just warned him not to play around in public. Sticking out your tongue is nothing you can do in public places. Harry needs to learn how to behave and act when the whole wizarding world is watching his every step. It was bad enough that your little encounter made the front page of the Daily Prophet. Do you really want them to see Harry's tongue on the cover of the evening papers?"

Draco hung his head. "No. Of, course not. But-"

"There is no 'but', Draco. It's my task to prevent bad publicity for the Malfoys. Harry is one of us now and he needs to adapt. There is no gentle way around it. One wrong movement and you make it to the front page. Harry will soon realise that the change in behaviour in public has nothing to do with our feelings for each other."

This time Draco nodded and gave his father a small smile which Lucius returned.

oxo

Dr. Johnson confirmed that Harry no longer had to wear any glasses but she advised to a regular eye-check. With that the three of them were back in the busy street of Diagon Alley.

"I promised Severus to get some new ingredients for his potion lab. Would the two of you like to accompany me or is there a shop you want to go to instead?" Lucius asked.

While Harry looked surprised Draco answered, "I would like to go to the quidditch store with Harry, is that okay?"

"Yes, it is. We will meet each other in an hour in front of Madam Malkins. The two of you stick together and behave. I mean it. We don't need any more cover stories," Lucius warned the boys with a stern face.

"I will not let Harry out of my sight." Draco confirmed, "And no fights."

Harry was still too surprised that Lucius allowed them to go on their own that he didn't think about the comment with the cover story. He was unaware of the unwanted press his fight with Draco had caused. So many things had happened since then, that he had no time to follow the press.

"Harry?" Lucius voice brought Harry out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" the boy asked bewildered.

"Behave. At least try to act like a Malfoy. Can you do that for me?" the man asked.

Harry gulped and then nodded but again Lucius waited until Harry answered, "Yes, Sir."

With that they parted ways.

"You know, we should do something for your look. This wild hair of yours needs some taming," Draco said suddenly.

"But you told that we will go to the quidditch store. Wouldn't your father expect us to go there? He will know that we didn't, if I change the look of my hair."

"First of all. It is _our_ father and I want to surprise him. You know why we are meeting at Madam Malkin, do you?"

"No, why?" Harry frowned.

"To get you new clothes of course. You may not have a problem running around in my old things but a real Malfoy has his own clothes," Draco explained.

"These are yours?" Harry asked pulling at his summer robe. He never asked himself what clothes he was wearing. He was glad that they fit so he never wondered before.

"Those _were_ mine. A year or two ago," the blond haired pointed out.

"They look new enough to me," Harry said while he tried to ignore the pain Draco's words caused him. _Was he really that small?_

"Of course. I take good care of my clothes."

At that Harry hung his head. He never had the chance to prolong the working life of any of his clothes as they were already torn or shabby as he got them from Dudley.

"Hey. I didn't mean to hurt you. I... well... I thought you know that they were mine. Just forget what I said. Soon you will have your own clothes."

Harry nodded and looked up with a half smile.

"And now let's go," Draco said determined, "If Father really has a problem with your look I will take the blame."

A few moments later they sat in the waiting room of the hairdresser Draco had picked out. They were looking through a catalogue with pictures of different haircuts.

"Look, how about that?" Draco asked and pointed to a picture with a boy's haircut.

"No!" Harry said horrified.

"Why not? What's wrong with it? It is cool, stylish and it would suit you, I'm sure."

"It will not hide my scar with all the hairs out of my forehead," Harry pointed out. Then he tapped with his finger to a different haircut. "I thought more of something like that."

Draco shook his head, "You should not hide your scar."

"But people will stare at it," Harry explained.

At that Draco scoffed, "People will stare at it nonetheless. If you make it hard to get a glance at your forehead they will stare longer, because they will try to get a look no matter what. If you don't hide it, they will just cast a short glance and then look away again."

That got Harry thinking. "You think?"

"I do. Besides you should be proud to have it."

"Proud? Why should I be proud of an ugly scar that reminded me of the death of my parents?" Harry asked confused.

"Because you survived, you defied death. This symbol on your forehead resembles 'soliwo' the rune of sun. The sun is powerful. She is light, warm, a source of energy and it also stands for health and victory. You may be marked, Harry, but that is no reason to hide it. Not, when you are marked with such a powerful symbol."

Harry was speechless. Never before had he thought about his scar as a powerful symbol.

"If you don't like the short haircut, then what about that?" Draco said after some time.

"He looks like Orlando Bloom," Harry said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't know who this guy is. I'm just talking about his hair."

"I'm not Orlando Bloom besides my hair is not long enough to look like that."

"Some would think, you never before learned about magic. Why would it matter how long your hair is right now? You can have it falling over you back until it reach your bottom in less than a minute. You are aware of hair-growing potions, aren't you?"

"Erm... right." Harry said to cover his ignorance. After a while he asked, "Do you think Dumbledore used a hair-growing potion on his beard?"

"No. I believe it is naturally grown. Some wizards tend to believe the natural length of hair is a sign of power," Draco explained.

"Oh?"

"It's rubbish if you ask me. I cannot image that the power of a wizard would lessen when he cut his hair."

"Hey what about this one?" Harry shouted. It was a haircut with some red strands of hair. "Do you think Dad would agree with something like that?"

Draco's eyes lit up. "Oh wow. I'm sure it would look cool on you."

"Isn't it too... erm... wild? I mean...red?"

"What if you take blond instead of red?" Draco asked after some thinking.

If Harry's sparkling eyes were any indication then Harry was really thrilled about Draco's suggestion. "Yes. I can be me and still have some Malfoy hair streaks. Brilliant!"

oxo

As Harry stepped into to waiting room a few minutes later Draco gaped in a very un-Malfoy way.

Harry's hair was combed from back to the front and stood up from his forehead. Blond strands stood in complete contrast to Harry's black hair combined with these brilliant green eyes Harry just looked stunning.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Draco suddenly said, "The girls will freak out if they see you."

"I fear your... erm... I mean, our dad will freak out. It's not exactly inconspicuously."

"No. He will not. You will see. He will just be surprised, that's all."

oxo

Well. That wasn't all _,_ of course. As Lucius met with Draco and Harry his perfect look of indifference crumbled. "What have you done?" he asked shocked.

Harry paled immediately. He had known this wouldn't end well.

"Father," Draco stepped in between his dad and Harry. "It was my idea. I though Harry needed a new look. He looks stunning. Don't you agree?"

"That is not the point, Draco. We agreed that you go to the quidditch store. Why, in Merlin's name, did you decide on such a drastic change without consulting me first?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Draco stood his ground.

"Surprise me? What are you going to surprise me with next? A tattoo? A piercing?" Lucius asked completely out of his depth.

"It's just a haircut, Dad. And well, we added a little bit of Malfoy into his look. It's the same blond."

Lucius closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. It wouldn't do if he lost his patience in public. "In what way does that excuse your disobedience? We-"

"Disobedience?" Draco interrupted his dad. "In what way did we disobey?"

"You were supposed to go to the quidditch store. I agreed on that but I cannot remember you asking me about going to see a hairdresser. Is my mind lacking of any information?" Lucius said in a dangerously low voice.

Draco crossed his arms and looked defiant. That was so unfair. It was just a stupid haircut.

"Is my mind lacking of any information, Draco?" Lucius repeated himself in such a furious tone of voice that Draco jumped.

"No," he finally said, ashamed as he noticed people starting to stare. "I'm sorry, Father."

"Let's get inside!" Lucius finally said and ushered the two boys inside the shop.

Harry was barely able to move. He was white as a sheet and trembling from head to toe. He fought hard not to break down and cry.

"Okay boys. In order to get done here as smoothly as possible we will forget for the moment what has happened. We will discuss it at home. Am I clear?" Lucius said and both boys nodded.

"And Harry?"

The boy in question looked up.

"Don't forget to breathe. It's easier to smile if you have enough oxygen in your lungs."

"Smile?" Harry whispered confused and fearful.

"Yes. One of the hardest tasks of being a Malfoy is to smile in a public place even when you feel like doing the opposite. I know you are worried right now but nothing else will happen until we are home, so for now you can relax."

"Mr. Malfoy!" Madam Malkin greeted friendly without realising that she was interrupting something, "How can I help you?"

"I need a whole new wardrobe for this young gentleman here." Lucius said and shoved Harry to his front while placing both his hands on Harry's shoulder, squeezing them lightly.

As Harry looked up with a shy smile, Madam Malkin gasped in surprise. "Mr. Potter?" Then she cleared her throat and went all business.

Harry felt very uncomfortable. He smiled, or at least tried to smile during the whole process of measuring and dressing but he was overwhelmed. He just couldn't forget Lucius' reaction to his haircut and the sheer amount of robes, shirts and trousers that Lucius insisted that Harry needs was too much for the boy. He just concentrated on smiling and nodding and wasn't really aware of his surroundings any longer. _'Just hold on. Just smile and hold on'_ he repeated in his mind like a mantra.

As Lucius noticed Harry's condition he swore inwardly. ' _What have I done now? I_ _should have flooed home with the boys to speak about their misbehaviour and not force them to wait. What a disaster. Why was everything suddenly so complicated. Draco hadn't done such a stunt like this one today ever before and Harry... he has so much to learn about society and public behaviour.'_ Lucius sighed to himself. There was nothing he could do now.

Oxo

Draco went first and Harry and Lucius followed him through the floo together. Lucius kept his arms firmly wrapped around the black haired boy, that now held some blond streaks. The child was exhausted and trembling. Lucius just hoped Harry would have enough energy left to eat some lunch.

"I wish you to freshen yourselves up and then meet with me in ten minutes in the dining room. We will have lunch first and then we will speak of today," Lucius told the boys.

Both boys whispered a 'Yes, sir' and left the library with low heads but ten minutes later both boys were still absent. Taking a calming breath, Lucius went up to the boy's rooms. He heard voices coming from Harry's room and knocked but the boy either didn't hear or ignored him.

"Let me through," Harry pleaded.

"No, Harry. There is nothing wrong with your hair," answered Draco.

"He hates it. I have to try to wash it out," Harry tried again.

"No. He is not angry with your hairstyle just with the way we did it. I'm sorry. Sometimes my ideas aren't that brilliant," Draco apologized.

"You can say that again," Lucius said upon entering Harry's room.

Harry cast him a panicky look. While Draco still held his place in front of Harry's bathroom. "Please, Dad, tell him that you do not hate his haircut."

"I _will_ talk with Harry, be sure of it, but I want to have a word with him in private. If you are ready please go to lunch," Lucius said.

"Yes, Dad." With these words Draco left the room.

Lucius sighed as he watched his son leaving, then he turn to Harry. The boy's face was tear-stricken and pale.

"What a disastrous day," Lucius said more to himself, "Come here, Harry. Let's sit down a bit."

Lucius sat down on Harry's bed and waited for the child to follow his example.

"Are you still mad?" Harry whispered in a weak voice not moving an inch.

"Harry, no matter what happened today. My feelings for you haven't change. I still love you the same."

"But you _are_ angry, aren't you?" he asked.

"What do you _expect_ me to feel? If I arrange something with you and Draco, I expect that you stick to the plan. I need to trust you or I cannot let you go on your own any more. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, Sir," Harry said and hung his head.

"Now, you can leave out the 'Sir' when we are at home. Come here, Harry, please," Lucius said in a soft voice.

If possible Harry paled even more. "Are you...?"

Lucius huffed frustrated. "I believe it was just this morning that I promised you, that I will never spank you again. All I wish to do is to finally give you a hug. May I hug you, please?"

With wide eyes Harry carefully stepped closer. As he got within arms reach Lucius pulled the boy closer and than wrapped his arms around him. He placed the boy on his lap and then tightened his arms a bit more.

Harry released a shuddered breath of relief and snuggled closer into the warm embrace and so they sat in silence for a while.

"Against your belief I really like your hairstyle. The blond strands suits you excellently. Whose idea was that?" Lucius wanted to know after a while.

"I found a similar haircut in that catalogue but it had red streaks. Then Draco suggested to take blond instead of red," Harry admitted.

"I also noticed that your scar is no longer hidden behind you bangs. I'm surprised."

Harry smiled to himself. He was surprised, too. "I didn't want to at first because people will stare at it but Draco said they will stare nonetheless. He also said that it is in the shape of a rune."

"He said that?" Lucius was surprised and then cast a glance at Harry's scar. "Hmm, he may be right. It does look similar to soliwo. I never noticed before but then, I do not share Draco's fascination with runes."

"Do you think I'm going to be powerful?" Harry asked in a shy voice.

"I would say, you are already powerful. Life didn't go easy on you but you survived and got stronger."

Harry sighed unhappily. "I'm so afraid of the future. I'm afraid _he_ will come back soon. I don't want to lose you."

Lucius heart clenched painfully. No twelve year-old should have to think about these things. "I don't know how to take away your worry but we are in it together. Together we are stronger. The first time around you were a baby. There was nothing you could have done but this time around you are a wizard student. You are no longer as helpless as a baby. We can train you and Draco in dueling. Severus and I are both very adept in the Dark Arts and in Defence. Do you like that idea?"

Harry smiled and nodded.

"But first you have a lot of schoolwork to do and not much time for it."

At that Harry hung his head in shame.

Lucius sighed and with two fingers he guided Harry's head up again, "I'm not angry with you. I know you didn't have the chance at your relatives but if you plan your days carefully there should be no problem with catching up. I have faith in you."

With that Harry returned the hug and whispered, "Thank you."

"How about lunch? Do you think we can join Draco downstairs? I'm sure he hasn't started with his meal yet, as he will be too worried about you."

Harry nodded and reluctantly stood up. He was very tired and the urge to just crawl into bed was nearly overwhelming.

"Tired?" Lucius asked knowingly.

Again Harry nodded and suppressed a yawn that wanted to escape him.

"You can take a nap after lunch but I want you to start on your homework in the afternoon. Starting by tomorrow Severus will give you remedial Potions each morning. So you can wait with this subject until you have a hang of the material. Is there any other subject you struggle with?"

Harry blushed at that and answered in a low voice, "History of Magic."

"I see. It's a shame that you were still taught by that ghost. History of Magic can be so interesting but Professor Binns fails completely in attracting the attention of his students with his monotonous voice. I can help you with that if you wish."

"Okay," Harry agreed with a meek voice. He hated History but he guessed Lucius will not accept poor marks just because he hated a subject.

With that they left Harry's room for lunch.


	7. About the War

_**Chapter 7 – About the War**_

Lunch was a very quite affair as everybody was in his own world of thoughts.

"Don't we get any dessert?" Draco wondered as Lucius suddenly stood.

"Do you think you earned any dessert with your stunt today?" Lucius countered and Draco hung his head.

"I wish to speak with you two in my study in five minutes." With that the man left the room.

"Do you think we are in a lot of trouble?" Harry whispered casting a worried glance at Draco.

"I don't know," Draco shrugged. He never before went against his father in such a way, so he had no idea how angry his father was, or in what way they would get punished. "There is just one way to find out."

Harry nodded and gulped. Together they entered Lucius' study. The man sat behind his desktop and cast a stern look at the two boys.

"Please take a seat and then explain to me, what exactly happened today."

Draco and Harry exchanged a nervous glance before the blond-haired boy cleared his throat and said, "Well, it was my idea. Harry didn't want to go at first. He was worried that with a new haircut you would know immediately that we didn't go to the quidditch store but I told him that I wanted to surprise you and so we went to the hairdresser just two shops down from the quidditch store. I didn't know you would be that angry about that."

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked at Harry and Draco. "And you didn't think that I would have liked to be informed if you do such a drastic change? I was really shocked at first and I didn't know how to react. I do not like any surprises, less of all in public places. I thought you are aware of that. Besides, I would have waited with a new haircut after the blood adoption ritual. I don't know in what way it will change Harry's appearance."

"Oh. I haven't thought about that," Draco admitted in shame.

"You think the adoption would change my look?" Harry asked unsure.

"Adoption in blood and magic means that your blood and magic will get mixed with the Malfoy genes. So there is a chance that your appearance will adapt, too. After the adoption you will have two biological fathers," Lucius explained.

"Oh," Harry said and frowned to himself but then a smile erupted on his face. "So you will be my real father."

Lucius couldn't help but smile back, "Indeed, and Draco will be your half brother."

This statement inevitably brought thoughts about Narcissa to Lucius mind. Should he tell his boys the cruel truth? As he locked eyes with Draco, he knew his son also thought about his mother. The boy earned the truths but telling about Narcissa would mean telling about the war, too.

"Dad?" Harry interrupted Lucius' train of thoughts. "What about Draco's mum? Draco said he don't believe that she is dead. Is there I chance I will meet her one day?"

"I don't know, Harry," Lucius said in a pained voice, "Do you both really want to know the truth? It's not a nice story."

"We are old enough," Draco reassured.

Lucius shook his head. "You may think less of me, if you hear the whole truth and I should ask Severus to join us as our stories are connected in a way."

"Even if you had been a dark wizard before, you definitely aren't one anymore. You are a real father to me and cares where my relatives didn't. I don't think anything will change my feelings to you," Harry said and Draco nodded and added, "I love you no matter what!"

Lucius sighed. His boys were so sure now, will they be as sure after they know everything? "Very, well. Please, wait here for a moment."

Just a few minutes passed before he re-entered the room with a serious looking potion master at his heals. Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry as he noticed his new haircut and Harry blushed and lowered his head.

"Okay, boys. I invited Severus into our discussion because I think if I tell you about Narcissa I should tell you everything and as I told you before, my story is involved with Severus' story. This whole mess started as the Dark Lord started to rise. He was young and promising and he knew how to handle people around him. His ideas were fresh and not so dark at the beginning. I was fascinated by him and his power.

"In my seventh year I became friends with Severus. He showed great interest in dark magic and was very adapt in potions. He even invented new spells and jinxes. I told him about the Dark Lord but he wasn't interested at first. He had a good friend in Gryffindor and valued that friendship more than anything.

"We stayed friends after I graduated but then I made a big mistake. I was so blinded by the lies of the Dark Lord that I finally joined him. I took the mark and I was proud. I was so proud that I even convinced Severus to join the group of followers, the Death Eaters, in the end. Then my bubble burst and I was thrown back into reality. Suddenly I could see through all the lies the Dark Lord had fed us to make us his followers but it was too late. Severus lost his friendship to Lily Evans and was very sad about it. A year later as Narcissa got pregnant I wanted nothing more than out of the group. Away from these cruel Death Eaters who didn't flinch from torturing even children.

After you were born, Draco, the Dark Lord noticed my wavering faithfulness. He..." Lucius gulped and took a deep breath, "He took Narcissa away from me to blackmail me. He told me, as soon as I know my place he will give her free again. You had been just eight months old as he kidnapped your mother. I was devastated. I was forced to partake in family raids, I was forced to do cruel things or I would have lost my wife. The Dark Lord wanted me to see what cruel end would await my family if I don't cooperate.

As the Dark Lord finally died, the secret where my wife was hidden, died with him. After I was finally spoken free by the Ministry of Magic I did everything in my power to find her but I failed. Even the Aurors failed to find her. It was like she had been swallowed by earth. You had been right, Draco. I didn't charm the portrait of your mother. She is still alive, but I have no idea where. I..."

Lucius took a shuddered breath and tried hard not to break out in tears, "I... just don't know what else I could do to find her."

Harry and Draco jumped out of their seats to wrap their arms around their distraught father. Both boys had tears in their eyes.

"I'm just so glad he didn't take you, too, Draco. I don't know what I would have done without you," Lucius said and kissed Draco's head.

Harry cast a glance at Severus and asked, "Did you love my mother?"

"Yes, Harry. I loved her a lot. After what happened to Narcissa though, I was glad that she wasn't with me. It had hurt a lot to see her marrying my arch enemy, James Potter, but I thought, that way she was safe. At least as safe as anybody during a war. I was wrong with my assumption though."

Severus looked very guilty suddenly. Harry let go of Lucius and asked, "What happened?"

Severus looked at Lucius and the blond-haired man nodded.

"Fate," Severus whispered while he locked eyes with Harry. "Fate chose to let me overhear a prophecy. I was stupid and thought the Dark Lord wouldn't believe in any prophecies but once again I was wrong. He didn't ignore it. As soon as he figured it out, your family was in danger. I panicked, I went to Dumbledore and told him everything. I pleaded to him to protect her. And that he did. In return I turned to be his spy.

"Luckily the Dark Lord didn't find out about me. I told him that I got a job in Hogwarts and that I can spy for him on the headmaster. He was very pleased with the idea and didn't suspect anything wrong. For a while everything was fine. Lily and her family vanished under the Fidelius Charm and was safe. Until one day the Dark Lord found out about their secret.

"You have to know, for the Fidelius Charm to work, you need a secret keeper. He is the only one who knows the secret hiding place. Obviously he chose to spill the secret."

"Who was the secret keeper? Do you know?"

"Yes I do, though I still have a hard time to accept that truth," Severus whispered.

Harry bit his lips, wondering if he really want to know but then he asked, "Who? Who was it?"

"Sirius Black."

Harry's eyes widen at that. "But I thought..." he gulped and his hands started to shake in horror. "You told me he was best friends with my father?"

Severus nodded, "He was. I don't know what happened, why he would betray your parents. He spend so much time with your family and even with you. He is your godfather. I really cannot understand this."

"Do you think he got tortured until he revealed anything?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No. The Fidelius Charm cannot be tricked in that way. He must have said it on his free will."

Harry shuddered. Sirius Black. He had so many photos with him and his dad in his photo album. _They looked so happy together. What had happened?_

Severus took a deep breath to prepare himself to reveal the last piece of truth. He knew Harry will not take that well but if he want to build a good relationship with the boy he need to say it and so he went on with a low voice. "The night the Dark Lord went to kill you and your family I tried to plead with him to spare your mother's life. He said he will try but he couldn't make any promises."

After this confession silence stretched through the room. Harry gulped. _So Severus knew that the Dark Lord was about to kill him and he just pleaded to safe his mother?_ He tried hard to ignore the stabbing pain of betrayal. He lowered his head and took some calming breath.

"Harry, you have to understand-" Severus started to explain.

"No." Harry interrupted him but Severus went on nonetheless.

"I _loved_ you mother. I knew, I was not able to stop the Dark Lord. It was my last chance to try and safe her."

"I _do_ understand," Harry pointed out while tears streamed down his cheeks, "But it still hurts."

Severus looked pained and ashamed of himself. "I know. I was a coward. Every day I wish, I would have done more."

Harry turned away from Severus and asked, "May I be excused, please?" He needed to get away, he needed time to think and he cannot do it in this dreaded study which still held awful memories.

"Of course, Harry," Lucius said and let the child flee from the room. He will speak with Harry later when he had time to calm down again.

"I shouldn't have told him that," Severus said contritely.

"It was necessary and you know it. He should have the whole picture. When he would have found out later, and I'm sure he _would_ have found out eventually, then he would have felt really betrayed. Now he just needs time to sort his feelings. Knowing him, he will forgive you," Lucius tried to cheer his friend up.

"I don't _earn_ his forgiveness. I may not have realised that I endangered Lily with this overheard prophesy but I knew what was going to happen that night. I knew he would murder Harry and everybody who stood in his way and all I did was to beg for Lily's life. I wasn't even interested in the boy or the man. What kind of man does that?"

"Don't punish yourself. The time was horrible. The war wrenched on our nerves every day. You cannot blame yourself for decisions you made while you feared for your own life every waking hour."

"I still feel responsible. Maybe I could have warned them."

Lucius shook his head. "There was no time. Haven't you told me once that the Dark Lord went to search for them as soon as he learned of their location? No warning would have reached them in time."

Severus hunched his shoulders in defeat.

"I still do not hate you," Draco finally said and went to give his godfather a hug.

As response Severus hugged the child close to his chest. Not sure if he really earned such a lovely child as a godson.

Oxo

Harry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was not able to process everything he had learned that day. He was just exhausted and so he pushed all thoughts out of his mind and let himself fall into Morpheus' Realm.

As Lucius went to see him, he was still sleeping. Carefully the man wiped away the tear tracks on the child's cheeks. He really hoped Harry would forgive Severus. If someone was able to take away Severus' guilt it would be this boy.

Oxo

As Harry finally woke up, he stayed in bed and let everything storm through his brain. He had told Lucius that he would not hold his past against him and he now tried to do the same with Severus. The man had been a complete bastard towards him last school year but now everything had changed. The man was helpful and understanding. He was his link to his mother. Obviously his mum had been a magnificent woman. If Severus had felt the same fear of losing Lily as Harry was felling by the thought of losing his new family, then he really could understand the man.

Severus didn't know Harry at that time and if Severus' treatment of him in the first year was any indication, then it was clear how the man had felt about Harry. Obviously Severus hated James Potter and his son.

Instead of being angry any longer, Harry felt guilty himself. Who was he to judge Severus? He had no idea about the time they lived in. Harry started to wonder what the prophesy was about. Why did it brought his family in danger? And why had Severus called it fate? He really have to ask his professor, maybe then he would understand better what had happened.

His next thought went to Sirius Black. He turned onto his stomach and pulled his photo album out of the bedside table. He opened it and watched the pictures of James and Sirius. Had the man really betrayed his family? He couldn't believe it. Was there a way to contact the man?

Determined Harry pushed his album back into his drawer and stood in search for his father. He found him in the library deep in thoughts.

"Dad?"

"Harry," surprised Lucius turned and studied the child from head to toe. He looked much better. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged a shoulder but before the other man could say anything else he asked, "Is there a way to contact Sirius Black?"

At that Lucius arched an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"

"I want answers," Harry said determined. "I have this album full of pictures of him and my dad and I cannot imagine that he deliberately betrayed my parents. Was there a clear proof that it was him?"

Lucius frowned in thoughts but then he admitted, "I don't know. All I know is that he was found in the middle of a Muggle street he had destroyed, while he killed Peter Pettigrew and some Muggles. He was laughing psychotically. I have no idea when he had his hearing."

"I want to write him or visit him, is there a chance?" Harry said insistently.

"It's impossible to visit him. At least for you. This prison is no place for a child. The dementors are horrible," Lucius said resolutely.

Harry didn't back down though, "And write? Will he be able to get mails at least?"

Lucius sighed. Even if Sirius would get the mail, there was no way he would be able to write back.

"Please, Dad. This is important for me. Can you help me?" Harry asked and there as no way Lucius could say 'no' to the child.

After some thinking he sighed and said, "I have the following proposal: You write a letter to him and I will try to visit him. If he wants to response I will wait for that but if he doesn't want to or can't response to you there is nothing else we could do. Then you have to accept what happened. Okay?"

Harry nodded his head. "Thank you so much!" he said and hugged his dad.

Lucius held the child close for a few moments before he asked. "How are you, Harry?"

"Better. I'm sorry how I reacted towards Severus confession. I have no right to judge him. I guess my mother was really very important to him. If anybody know how it feels when you fear to lose someone then it is me."

"Your reaction was understandable, Harry. You have been exhausted even before we told you everything. You have nothing to be sorry for," Lucius reassured.

"Dad, we still haven't talked about our punishment for the incident in Diagon Alley," Harry said carefully.

Lucius sighed once more. "I know but you didn't outright disobeyed me. Draco's idea wasn't ill-meant and you didn't know about the rules. I forgot to tell you that we act differently when we are in public. So this time I think, I will let the matter go."

"You are sure?" Harry asked astonished.

"Don't misunderstand me. If you do such a stunt again, then there will be consequences to face," Lucius reassured.

Harry nodded with a honest face. "I will keep that in mind."

"Okay and now go and fetch your history book. Then we can see were you struggle."

-o-

Harry was surprised to find out what an excellent history professor Lucius would have been. The way he explained the things made it so much easier to understand the material.

"I wish _you_ would teach history. I though it is just a boring subject but obviously that depends on the teacher," Harry said happily.

"Well, thank you, Harry. Do you think you will manage your essay now?" Lucius asked and the boy nodded.

oxoxoxo

After dinner Harry showed Lucius his History essay and the man nodded in approval after he had read it through. "Well done, Harry. Your handwriting also greatly improved. Do still feel any pain?"

Harry shook his head, "No and it is a lot easier to write with the new quill tip. Thank you again, for showing me."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm sure all your professors will be grateful, that they don't have to guess any longer what you have written," Lucius replied.

Harry pouted at that, "My handwriting wasn't _that_ bad!"

Lucius smiled benignly and Harry finally smiled back.

"I also found time to write my letter to Sirius. Do you want to read it?" Harry asked suddenly looking nervous.

"Do you want me to read it?" Lucius asked back.

Harry shrugged and hung his head.

"If you want my advice or my opinion, I will read it but if you think it is okay as it is, I will just play owl and deliver your letter."

"I don't think, it is necessary that you look at it, but if you want to know what I have written you can read it," Harry explained.

"Thank you, but in this case I will respect you privacy, Harry," Lucius said and took the letter.

Harry smiled up at him. "Thank you."

Then the boy look down again and bit his lip. It was more than obvious, that he wanted to say something else but didn't know how to approach the subject. Lucius waited patiently but as Harry stood and intended to leave, the man stopped him.

"Is there something else you wanted to say?"

Harry looked up, still chewing on his lip. "I... erm... I know, I'm going to see Severus tomorrow. I just wondered, if I could talk with him but I can talk with him tomorrow."

"Do you want to talk with him via floo or do you want to floo over, for a personal talk?" Lucius asked. Normally he wouldn't allow visits after dinner. In this case though he had the feeling that Harry really should talk with Severus. He learned a lot this day and need to sort his thoughts.

"Is it possible to floo over? It's nearly bed time." Harry wondered aloud.

"I know. And under other circumstances I wouldn't allow it but in this case I think it is necessary you two talk about what was told today. Come on. Let's see if Severus has time."

Together Harry and Lucius walked into the library and after a short call Lucius stepped into the fire and wrapped his arms around the far too small boy to floo them to Severus.

Oxo

Severus was surprised that Lucius came with company, more so as Lucius just hugged Harry and then stepped back into the flames. Before Severus could asked about the meaning of all this he found himself with his arms full of a black-and-blond-haired child clinging desperately at him.

"Harry?" he asked unsure.

"I'm so sorry, how I reacted to your story. It was just too much to take in for me but I think I can understand you. You loved her, and you probably hated it, that she married someone else. I can even understand why you hated me but you changed, you don't hate me any longer, do you?"

Severus returned the hug and reassured the boy. "No, I don't hate you and I shouldn't have treated you the way I did in your first year either. I don't expect you to forgive me. I know, I was horrible to you."

"Please," Harry started and looked up, "Please, don't blame yourself for my mother's death."

Severus let go of the boy and looked away, unable to look into the green eyes, that reminded him so much of Lily.

"Sev," Harry whispered without realising, that he used the same nickname and the same tone of voice his mother would have used in such a situation and against his will Severus looked back at Harry, feeling as if Lily would be close by watching them.

Harry studied Severus' face and saw the inner struggle in the onyx eyes.

"It's so hard, Harry," Severus finally admitted. "It pains me to think at her. Every time I do, I wished I would have done more."

"Was there something you could have done to prevent her death?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

Severus looked away again. "I don't know, probably not. There wasn't much time left as I learned about the Dark Lord's plan."

Harry leaned his head back against Severus chest and said "You need to stop blaming yourself. I'm sure my mother wouldn't want you running around with guilt that isn't yours. It was Voldemort, who killed her."

Severus sighed and run his hand through the boy's hair. He considered to remind Harry not to call him 'Sev' but he found that he didn't mind if Harry used this nickname. If Lily called him that, he always got a warm feeling in chest. When ever she called him that he knew, he was important to her and that gave him a small boost for his ego.

He couldn't bear anyone else calling him that, because it simply felt wrong. It shamed him and reminded him of his failures. When Harry call him Sev though, even after all he had learned, it also felt warm. It reminded Severus, that there was still someone who needed him.

He gave Harry a final squeeze before he let go of the boy. He motioned Harry to sit down at the sofa and sat himself next to the child.

"Harry, you still don't know all. Lucius told you, I lost her friendship after I joint the Dark Lord but I believe I lost her respect far earlier. On day I called your mother mudblood out of anger and humiliation and I believe it was the end of our real friendship. She forgave me eventually but it was never the way it was before."

Harry frowned. "What's a mudblood?"

"It's a vile word for muggleborns."

"Why did you call her that?"

Severus frowned to himself, debating with himself how much he should tell Harry but finally choose to tell Harry everything about his daily fight with Harry's father and his gang. He told the boy about the incident that lead to him calling Lily that foul name.

"But wouldn't my mum know why you called her that? Wouldn't she understand?" Harry wondered. He could completely empathize with Severus and didn't understand how his mother wouldn't forgive Severus immediately.

"Of course she understood, but she didn't like the new friends of mine and accused me of having changed since I hung out with them. She was right, of course, but I couldn't see what she meant at that time. It got more and more complicate between us. She tried so hard to keep me on the right path but I was too far down the wrong path already. As I realised my mistake, she was already deep in love with your father and I was hurt and too ashamed to apologize to her. Maybe she would have forgiven me."

"She would have!" Harry said convinced.

Severus couldn't help but smile at that. The boy was so much like Lily and if Harry was ready to forgive him his horrible treatment of him, then he also was sure that Lily would have forgiven him, too.

"You know, I finally realize, why she fought for you until her last breath. You are a very special child," Severus said, "If it would come to it, I would do the same."

Harry smiled with a pained expression. "I'm nothing special. I'm just Harry."

"Well, 'just Harry' do you care for a cup of cocoa before I floo you back?"

"Yes, please."

So, Harry and Severus sat for a while longer sipping cocoa and taking comfort in the other's presence. Harry leaned his head against Severus' shoulder and Severus had his arm around the boy's back. As the man noticed that Harry's head grew heavier against his shoulder he looked down and smiled. Once again the boy had fallen asleep. Carefully Severus placed his cup back on the table and rescued Harry's cup before the boy's hand went completely slack.

"Time to get you home," Severus said but Harry just hummed incoherently. The man stood and then took Harry under his armpits to hoist him up into his arms. "You are still far too light, you know?"

"Hmm hm," Harry replied and rested his head on Severus' shoulder, wrapping his arms around the man's neck.


	8. Magical Outburst

_AN: Just so you know and are forewarned; (1) this story is grotesque, (2) lacks verisimilitude, (3) is nauseating, cloying, ignorant and (4) completely farcical. (but at least it was worth 4 reviews)_

 _Maybe you should all immediately stop reading it. *eyeroll* … always these stupid guest reviewers. Well... I have warned you. You can stop complaining now if you are still unable to stop reading it. :-P_

 _And for all those of you who know already what a "perverse" writer I am and are still reading my stories, enjoy the next chapter. ;-)_

 _This time it is not only double but triple beta-readed. Big THANKS to Jasper's Mom, EvilDime and Visitkarte._

 _And of course also big THANKS to my reviewers ... I love your reviews and things like these reviews above will not get to me as long as you are supporting me._

 _I already wonder what reviews I can expect should I ever decide to post my harry-potter-styled answer to Shades of Grey. Ha ha..._

 _ **Chapter 8 – Magical Outburst**_

The next morning Harry sat at breakfast being in a good mood. He couldn't really remember how he got back home the night before but he was glad that he had gotten the chance to talk with Severus. Now he could understand his professor even better. He was eagerly looking forward to his first remedial potions class as he was sure this time Severus wouldn't be as vile as he had been in Harry's first year.

Draco and Lucius noticed Harry's good mood as well as the amount of food that went into the boy this morning.

"Slow down, Harry, or you will get a stomach ache," Lucius finally said.

Harry looked up with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just can't wait to finally get the chance to learn potions. I was looking forward to it since my first day in Hogwarts, but after Severus' hostile behaviour towards me, I lost interest in the subject."

Lucius was surprised to hear that. Severus always told him that it was a pity that Harry didn't inherited Lily's passion for potions. Did Severus really treat Harry so awfully that he smashed the boy's enthusiasm? "Well, it's nice to know that you are eager to learn something."

"Why wouldn't I? I love magic," Harry replied, puzzled.

"So how come your marks aren't better?" Lucius asked with a thoughtful frown. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not scolding you, but I am curious."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Erm... I don't know. Nobody was really interested in my marks. At the Dursleys I wasn't allowed to have better marks than Dudley and I wasn't allowed to speak about Hogwarts."

"Rest assured; I _am_ interested. I expect you to work hard in all your subjects and if your marks are better than Draco's then all the better."

"Really?" Harry looked up in surprise. "You wouldn't mind if I have better marks than Draco?"

"Don't worry, Harry. You will not beat me in classes," Draco said, proud of himself.

"How can you be so sure? I'm better in DADA than you. I could be better in all subjects," Harry contradicted.

"In your dreams!" was all Draco said.

"Well, we will see, won't we?" Harry said with a big grin. It was exciting to be challenged like that. Never before had he been this motivated to bring home good marks.

-oxo-

Severus didn't know what hit him, as he watched the eager child cutting and slicing ingredients for their potion.

"Harry, slow down and work more carefully. These slices are too thick. Let me show you." Severus said and then took the knife form Harry for his demonstration. Harry watched intently and then copied Severus' movements with high concentration. He really wanted to do it right this time. He wanted to make Severus proud.

While he prepared the ingredients he noticed that he was able to work more accurately now that his hand wasn't hurting any longer. He also felt far more energetic than he did a few days ago. All in all, he never felt better and his good mood didn't go unnoticed.

Severus was happy to see the changes. The regular meals and the healed bones boosted Harry's magical levels and although Harry seemed relatively calm right now, he also knew that the child was going to need some physical exercise for compensation or the boy would get fidgety and unbalanced.

In the end the potion turned out perfectly and Severus felt ashamed that he'd never seen the hidden talent in the boy.

After their potion brewing Severus explained some basic theory, while Harry took some notes, and then flooed the child back to Malfoy Manor.

Xox

"How was it?" Lucius asked and Harry grinned from one ear to the other.

"Brilliant. Severus said the potion was perfect."

Lucius smiled proudly and then asked: "That's good to hear. You still have an hour till lunch, maybe you could work some more on your summer assignments?"

Harry's smile faltered for a moment but then he said: "Yes. Of course," and left the room with a polite smile.

Lucius frowned as he watched the boy go.

"I would advise to let the child go swimming, or flying in the afternoon, or he will climb up the walls in the evening. Maybe some duelling would be a good idea, too. Now that Harry's magic is no longer occupied with keeping the body functional, the boy is full of energy. It's important to give Harry an outlet, or his magic will burst out of him uncontrollably," Severus explained.

"Hm, you may be right. Draco went for a ride this morning. He will be back at lunch. Maybe the two can do something together. I am busy till later in the afternoon. Harry's birthday party, the hearing of the Dursleys, the adoption... so much paperwork."

"When do you plan to have Harry's party?" Severus wondered.

"The coming Saturday."

"Will you invite his friends?"

Lucius sighed. "I plan to do that but I have a bad feeling concerning the Weasley boy. You know Molly Weasley doesn't consider me kindly due to my past sins, and now she is poisoning her children's minds to make sure they don't associate with any of us. Draco's behaviour towards Harry and Ronald last year didn't improve the situation either. I fear he could ruin Harry's party. So I'm not sure if I really should invite him. I want Harry to be happy."

"Shall I talk with the Weasleys and explain the situation to them? I will tell them that Ronald may come if he keeps his reservations about you and Draco to himself, for Harry's sake?" Severus offered.

"You would do that?" Lucius asked hopefully.

"Of course." Severus shrugged his shoulder. "This party is for Harry. If the boy cannot keep his big mouth shut then he doesn't need to attend. And what about the adoption? When do you plan to do that?"

"The Saturday after Harry's birthday. Depending on how the party goes, I will decide then whether to invite Harry's friends or not."

"And the hearing?"

"The hearing will take place on Thursday next week."

"Is Harry aware of it yet?" Severus asked.

Lucius shook his head, "No, Harry doesn't know about the Dursleys' arrest. He had so much on his mind, he hasn't been ready to learn about that till now. I may talk to him this evening."

"Shall I come over to entertain Draco?"

"That would be appreciated, thank you, my friend."

-oxoxo-

At lunch Harry had a hard time sitting still. He fidgeted on his chair, dangled his feet and played with the silverware.

Lucius remembered Severus' words about the boy having too much energy and tried to be lenient with Harry but as the boy accidentally lost the grip on his fork and it fell back into his plate and caused the sauce to splatter onto the tablecloth he finally snapped: "Harry, would you please stop this playing around and sit still? You can go and play in a few minutes, when you have finished your meal. As long as you sit at the table you need to act as it is expected of a Malfoy."

Harry's eyes widened fearfully. His whole body froze in shock. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Apology accepted," Lucius said with a smile to reassure Harry that he wasn't in trouble.

Slowly Harry picked up his fork again and continued to eat, carefully watching his every move. As Lucius continued as if nothing had happened, Harry relaxed again and finished his meal soon after.

"Why don't you boys go outside? Draco, you could show Harry the pond," Lucius suggested.

"Yes, why not? I wanted to go swimming anyway," Draco answered immediately but Harry looked up nervously.

"Erm... I'm not sure I want to go swimming."

"Why not? The weather is perfect," the blond-haired boy asked.

Harry bit his lip and lowered his head as he considered what to tell his brother. "I don't like water."

Draco frowned. Somehow he got the feeling that Harry wasn't completely truthful. Why wouldn't he like water? Then suddenly it hit him. "You cannot swim, can you?"

Harry blushed deeply and nodded once.

"Erm..." Draco looked at his father for help. He couldn't really remember how he learned to swim.

Lucius looked torn for a bit. There was so much paperwork waiting for him. But then he concluded that the paperwork could wait till the evening and said to Harry: "Well, in that case, we will have to do something about that, won't we?"

Draco smiled and looked back at Harry.

"We will teach you! It'll be so much fun, you will see!"

Harry forced himself to smile, but he wasn't really convinced.

Oxo

A few hours later Harry had changed his mind about swimming. He couldn't remember having so much fun, in the water no less. The floating charm Lucius used on him to keep him above the water was really very useful for learning the motions necessary for swimming. With time Lucius weakened the charm but Harry wasn't ready to swim completely without it.

Draco was an excellent swimmer, of course, and he dived under Harry and his father a lot. Lucius always stayed near Harry, not leaving his side even with the floating charm, and Harry was very glad about it.

Now the boy was in his rooms having a quick shower before dinner. Finished, he bounced down the stairs again as he was very hungry after all the excitement.

„What are the house rules concerning the stairs?" Lucius asked in a warning voice as Harry nearly ran into him.

The smile vanished immediately from the boy's face. Blushing deeply, Harry lowered his head. But then he looked up again and straight into Lucius eyes and said in a clear voice: "No running or bouncing down the stairs."

Lucius gave a curt nod and then asked, "Do you know why I established this rule?"

Harry bit his lower lip and nodded, but as Lucius still looked at him expectantly, he answered verbally: "Because it is dangerous. If you fell, you could break your neck."

"Indeed, even if it isn't the neck, a broken ankle or wrist is also very painful."

"I'm sorry. I was just eager to get to dinner because I'm very hungry," Harry explained.

A soft smile played around Lucius lip as he said: "It's good to hear that you have an appetite. Nevertheless, this will be your first and last warning about this rule. Break it again, and you will write lines for me."

Harry nodded his head and then smiled to himself, as Lucius placed an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into a one-armed hug.

Unbeknown to the two Draco had watched the exchange from the top of the stairs. He was glad that Harry wasn't so afraid any longer, but as he saw his father's arm on Harry's shoulder he frowned at the unfamiliar feeling he got in his stomach at the sight.

Oxo

"You look concerned, Father. Is everything okay?" Draco asked at the end of dinner.

Harry looked up in surprise and glanced at the man. Lucius smiled a bit forced and said: "Yes. I need to talk with Harry about something important, though."

"Okay, shall we meet in the living room?" Draco asked.

"No, Draco. I need to talk with Harry alone. Severus will be over in a bit," Lucius explained.

"But what do you need to talk with Harry about? Why can't I hear it, too?" the blond-haired boy started to complain. The strange feeling in his stomach came back full force.

Lucius scowled at his son's behaviour. "If Harry wants to tell you about it afterwards, it is up to him. Right now, I will speak with him in private."

"But-"

"No, Draco. Stop it, or you can wait in the corner over there until Severus arrives. You know, I don't like whining. There is a reason why I want to talk with Harry alone and whatever you may think about it, I will not change my mind. So save your dignity and accept my decision."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I will wait in my room. Will you send Severus up to me?" Draco stood with a controlled neutral expression.

It was clear to Harry, though, that Draco was angry. His jaw was clenched as well as his fists.

Lucius inclined his head. "Of course."

Harry felt very uncomfortable. He had no idea why Lucius needed to speak with him and he didn't like the tension in the air.

"Harry, will you follow me into my study, please," the man said, standing up.

The black-haired boy nodded and stood, too, a bewildered frown on his face.

Lucius informed Dobby to send Severus up to Draco's room and then went, with Harry in tow, towards his study.

Oxo

Nervously, Harry squirmed in his seat. He watched Lucius, who seemed to be unsure how to start the conversation. This made Harry even more nervous. Why would the man struggle for words unless it was something really bad? Maybe Lucius had changed his mind? Maybe he didn't want to adopt Harry any longer? Or he wasn't allowed to?

"Harry, I'm sorry I haven't told you earlier, but-"

"Please don't send me back!" The words naming his biggest fear tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

"What?!"

"I know I'm so much trouble and a danger to you and Draco but, please... please don't send me back!" Harry pleaded desperately.

"Why would you say that? What made you believe I would want to be rid of you?" Lucius demanded, doing his best to keep the anger he felt out of his voice.

Harry bit his lip hard, his hands trembled and he looked up fearfully. "You struggled with the words and you didn't allow Draco to hear this conversation, so I thought maybe... maybe you changed your mind... or Dumbledore won't allow me to continue staying here... I don't know..." Harry stuttered.

Lucius sighed deeply, unsure if he should scold Harry for the interruption or assure him once again that he would never be sent away. It was really concerning that Harry still had this fear. Hopefully after the adoption, his fear would be laid to rest once and for all.

"Harry, nobody will ever be able to force you to return to the Dursleys."

"Not even Dumbledore?" Harry ask softly.

"Your headmaster has no say in this and even if he did, he cannot force you to go back to them, because the Dursleys are going to face trial. I wanted to speak with you because the hearing takes place on Thursday."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "Trial? Hearing? I don't understand."

"The way they treated you was unacceptable. Healer Greg was forced to report them due to the medical scan he did on you."

Horrified, Harry shook his head. "No. Don't do that. Just let them be. They... they don't like magic..."

"Harry. They broke the law when they abused you. The medical scan showed that the only reason you are still alive is because of your magic. You would have been safer in any orphanage. They violated your human rights and now they must face justice. There is no difference of human rights between Muggles and magical folk."

"But what about Dudley?" His aunt and uncle adored their son. They couldn't just take him away.

"Your cousin is staying with foster parents, as far as I am informed."

"No!" Harry yelled in panic and stood up. "Please stop that. Don't do that to them."

"That's not in my hand, Harry. They did that to themselves when they decided to treat you the way they did. Your fear of them is just one more proof of how awful they have been."

At these words Harry hung his head and wrapped his arms protectively around his torso.

"It's understandable that you fear them. It's normal. Any child in your position would fear them. It is not your fault that they treated you poorly."

"But it is!" Harry looked up again. Hoping to make Lucius see reason, he explained: "I did all those freaky things. They hated it when I did. They told me to stop it but I couldn't. I had no control over it. They hoped I would be able to get a hold on the freakishness if the punishment was bad enough. They-"

"Harry. Stop it!" Lucius shouted while his hand hit the tabletop.

The boy jerked violently. With big frightened eyes he fell silent.

"Sit down," Lucius demanded in a calmer but still stern voice.

Without another word, Harry sat down again, unsure what would happen next.

Lucius took some calming breaths before he started talking again. "You did no _freaky things_ , you performed accidental magic, like any other magical child. No child under the age of eleven has absolute control over their magic. Your relatives knew that you are magical. They knew what it means to raise a magical child the moment they took you in. They got informed by Headmaster Dumbledore himself.

"They also were told that they would get money for your keep. Not money just for your food and clothes. They got extra money for your birthday, or for Christmas. Believe me when I say it was a very lucrative deal for them to take you in. There was absolutely no reason to give you second hand clothes. There was also no reason to force you to do all the household chores. The money they got would have covered the costs of a house keeper easily."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't _want_ to believe it. That was a horrible truth. Surly there was a mistake, his relatives never got any money. Why would they always complain that Harry was stealing food out of Dudley's mouth if they received money? That didn't make any sense.

He shook his head in denial.

"There is a reason why they are facing trial, Harry. They are not only child abusers but also thieves. They stole your money and gave it to their son instead."

"No. You are lying!" Harry yelled and jumped out of his seat again. "They never got any money."

Before Lucius could react, Harry stormed out of the study.

-oxoxo-

Draco startled violently as he heard the door next to his room slamming shut. Just a moment later a loud scream full of agony was heard, followed by deep heartbroken sobs. Then more screams echoed through the house. As they stopped a loud bang followed.

Highly alarmed Draco looked at Severus, who was already heading to the door. Draco jumped up and followed. Severus knocked on Harry's door but was completely ignored. As he tried the doorknob the door didn't budge. Taking out his wand Severus tried to spell the door open, but without any success.

In the meantime, more bangs, screams and sobs were heard.

Severus knocked again. "Harry, let me in!"

Finally, Lucius came running up the stairs. His face was full of worry and – Draco squinted to be sure – full of fear.

They all winced at a very loud bang and the following howl of pain. Then it grew unnaturally silent all of a sudden.

Severus tried the door again but it still didn't let them in.

"Dobby!" Lucius called his elf.

"Dobby is very sorry, Master Malfoy. Dobby tried to see what Young Master is doing, but Dobby cannot get into the room." The small elf looked devastated.

"I never heard of a young wizard powerful enough to neutralise a house elf's magic," Lucius said, still concerned, and dismissed Dobby with a wave of his hand.

"What are we going to do?" Draco asked in panic.

"We need to calm him down somehow. His magic is overpowering him. Let's hope he is listening," Severus said and then knocked loudly on the door. "Harry. I hope you can hear me in there. I will tell you something. You must know your aunt's hatred against magic started very early in her life. She and your mother were always playing together. When your mother slowly showed more and more magic, at first Petunia was fascinated. She also wanted to do magic. She pleaded with Lily to teach her. Lily tried her best, although I explained to her that you cannot learn magic, you have to be born with it.

"Soon Petunia and Lily realised that I was right. Petunia was very angry about that. As Lily got her Hogwarts letter, Petunia even wrote to Professor Dumbledore, begging to be allowed into Hogwarts, too. Professor Dumbledore denied her request, explaining that Muggles cannot go to Hogwarts and that they do not teach the typical subjects of a Muggle school.

"That made Petunia very bitter. She stopped talking with Lily and her anger drew her ever further away from her sister. Whenever Lily tried to get in contact with her, she refused. Petunia was very, very jealous of her sister.

"It is my belief that her jealously returned with full force as you started to show magic. Your grandparents had been very proud that Lily was a witch, and Petunia had felt disadvantaged because of that. I can only guess that that is the reason why she favoured her non-magical son over you. She wanted to turn the tables.

"It's clear that she overdid it by far. Your grandparents never treated Petunia this poorly, but... I don't know... Maybe she sometimes felt overlooked. It is of course no excuse for her behaviour towards you, but I hope it will help you to understand why she was so horrible.

"What I want you to understand is that you had nothing to do with her decision to treat you that way. Her hatred was already established in her childhood. It was not your fault. It has never been your fault." Severus sighed and then wondered out loud: "Why anyone would place you with her if she was that hostile towards the wizarding world, I have no idea. You will have to ask Professor Dumbledore about that."

As Severus finished his story he noticed that Lucius and Draco had left at some point or another. He looked back at Harry's door and tried the doorknob again. This time he could push the door open.

The room looked like it had been hit by a bomb. The chair was broken. Schoolbooks were scattered all over the floor. The blanket and the pillows were on the floor, too, and a blue stain on the wall showed where the ink pot had impacted and shattered.

Harry himself was sitting on the floor right next to the door. His eyes were closed and his left hand was stoking the fur of a white purring cat.

Severus crouched down in front of the boy. "Hey."

Harry's eyes fluttered open. The red rims from crying stood in stark contrast to the vivid green of his eyes.

"How are you?" Severus asked softly.

Harry closed his eyes again and shook his head. His hand never stopped stroking the cat. Severus sat next to the boy and looked at the animal. The white fur also showed blue spots, most probably from the ink.

"Is that Mr. Paw?" Severus asked and Harry nodded once in response.

"He is alive. Did you do that?" The man asked once more, purposely asking the question so that Harry could answer with "yes" or "no". The way the boy had screamed before surely left his throat sore.

Harry shrugged.

"Accidentally?"

Harry shrugged again.

"Did you wish for him to become alive?"

Harry paused and then nodded. He gave a shrug with just one shoulder and after a short hesitation he looked up questioningly.

"I don't know if he will stay that way but if you want a cat as a pet I'm sure Lucius will grant you your wish."

Harry frowned and hugged Mr. Paw closer.

Severus smiled. "You want Mr. Paw. I understand. May I?"

Harry looked unsure at first but then he nodded and watched Severus' hand closely as it reached out to scratch the cat behind the ear. Mr. Paw looked up at the man and Severus couldn't help but smile. The white cat not only looked, but also felt and acted like a real, normal cat. "He is beautiful."

Then Severus looked back at the destroyed room.

"Are you hurt?"

The stroking hand stilled for a moment but Harry didn't answer.

Severus looked back at the boy. "Where?"

Harry lowered his head. "Hand," he whispered softly and in a kind of explanation he added: "Wall", and after some hesitation he said: "Toe. Bed."

"Your hand hurts from hitting the wall and your toe from kicking the bed?" Severus repeated just to be sure and Harry nodded in confirmation.

Severus noticed that Harry's right hand was just lying next to his side, half hidden by the cat. "Anywhere else?"

Harry gulped and stared at something in front of him. Severus followed his gaze and his eyes fell onto the pieces of glass from the ink pot. Turning pale, Severus had to suppress the urge the grab the boy's arms and check for any cuts. He really hoped Harry would never get to this point. "Tell me you didn't," he whispered, nearly pleading.

"Didn't," Harry whispered back. "Couldn't... saw Mr. Paw... I remembered... I'm loved."

"Thank Merlin," Severus couldn't help but say to himself. "Yes, you _are_ loved!" He emphasised. "Lucius, Draco, your friends and me, too, we all would be devastated if something happened to you."

"But _they_... would not."

"The Dursleys don't count any more. They never earned the right to claim you. Your mother would be scandalized if she knew how you have been treated by them. She loved you dearly! And if the tables had been turned, she would have loved Dudley, too, and not abused him."

"Don't... understand... why?" Harry said in a low and completely heartbroken voice. "How... can they... hate me... so much?" After that, Harry winced as his throat was killing him.

Severus noticed, of course, and instead of answering he said: "Let me have a look at your hand and toe, and then I will see what I can do for your throat."

He was relieved to learn that Harry hadn't hit or kicked hard enough to damage the bones seriously. He could heal both easily with the healing balm he always carried on his person.

"For your throat you can take a potion, but I would advise you to take it easy and try to talk as little as possible. You should get ready for bed while I go and get the potion for you, okay?"

Harry nodded weakly. He lifted Mr. Paw from his lap and placed him on the floor, then gratefully took Severus' helping hand to stand. Severus pulled out his wand and repaired the chair and the ink pot. With the next wave of his wand the ink spot on the wall vanished and after a final wave of his wand and the books repaired themselves and flew back to the bookshelves.

Harry studied his feet in shame. How could he have been so ungrateful and destroy everything?

Suddenly two fingers under his chin guided his head up until he was forced to look back at Severus. "I know your magic broke free and wasn't under your control any more and I fear that will happen more often during the next few days. Your life changed a lot lately and with the healing of your body you now have access to your full magical potential. It will take time until you adapt and gain the full control back."

Harry bit his lip and said: "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble."

Severus shook his head "No, Harry. You are just a child in need of adult guidance like every other child of your age. Lucius and I, we are here for you and Draco, whenever you need us. If there is a problem we will try our best to help you solve it. I know the concept of having a caring family is new to you, but believe me when I say we are happy to have you and we are more than willing to help you whenever you struggle."

"Dad will be mad at me. I practically called him a liar."

"I don't think he took offence at your words. He knew the news would be hard for you, but an apology surely will do the trick."

Harry frowned to himself.

"Come on, go and brush your teeth and I will be back with the potion soon."

"Thank you," Harry whispered.

Severus placed an arm around Harry's shoulder and then pulled the boy closer to kiss the top of his head. In the next moment he released Harry again and headed out of the room.

Harry was shocked how natural it had felt. Just a few months ago the same man had glared angrily at him or belittled him for his lack of knowledge in potions and now he was the most understanding man in Harry's life. The man had changed completely and Harry still had trouble wrapping his mind around it. He wondered from time to time why things had changed. Was it just because he had learned about Harry's abuse? Why would that make a difference? Harry's potions knowledge was still very limited.

-Meow,- said Mr. Paw and Harry looked down at the cat leaning against his leg.

Harry smiled and picked the cat up, cuddling it careful against his chest and leaning his cheek against the soft fur. "I hope you do stay alive."

-oxoxo-

That evening, as both boys were finally asleep, Severus and Lucius sat together with a drink, as they often did when they needed the support of the other. Neither man talked at first, they both were shocked at what had happened with Harry.

"It would be cruel to force the child to be present at the hearing," Lucius said more to himself but he knew Severus was hearing him.

"Maybe, but it would also make everybody see just how much damage the Dursleys did to the boy."

At that Lucius snorted and then shook his head. "Too much damage, that's for sure. I don't know what I would do without you. I'm glad you took control of the situation earlier. I sometimes don't know how to handle the boy. His permanent fear is so frustrating and I'm sure he still doesn't believe that he belongs to us now."

"He may have had a hard time learning to accept that he is welcomed here, but deep down he has already realised just how much you and Draco love him. This realisation is what kept him from harming himself more seriously today," Severus explained, thinking back to the white cat Harry had brought to life.

"What do you mean?" Lucius asked with a frown.

"He obviously thought about cutting himself with the broken ink pot, but then he saw Mr. Paw, the stuffed cat Draco had given him. It must have pulled him out of his despair and allowed him to think clearly again. I guess it was then that he wished the cat to come alive."

"Come alive?" Lucius repeated, confused.

Severus smiled. "Yes. He channelled his magic with his wish to bring the stuffed cat to life."

Now the blond man's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that Harry brought Mr. Paw..."

"...to life. Yes."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Lucius asked: "So the stuffed cat is now what... a normal cat?"

"Well, no. Mr. Paw is looking and acting like a real cat but he isn't real. He is animated but will not have the need for air or food. I don't know how long he will be that way. Normally if you transfigure something into an animal, it will last only for the time being. With Harry though, nothing is normal. So I have no idea how long the cat will be alive. I will have to do some research on that."

After that Lucius nodded and fell silent again.

"I think I will call Melinda." This time it was Severus who broke the silence. Lucius' head snapped up at that and he looked at his friend questioningly.

"Harry will have more magical outbursts and obviously his accidental magic gives him reason to worry greatly. They are a sore spot for him. Most probably thanks to his relatives. I'm also not entirely sure if I could give Harry the emotional support he will need. Melinda is an expert in this area."

"I thought you don't want to see her again," Lucius asked, surprised.

"I still don't want to, but this is for Harry. I'm convinced she can help him better."

The blond-haired man smiled to himself. Melinda was a good friend of Severus', but as she had tried to become more, Severus had ended the friendship rather quickly. Sometimes Lucius teased Severus about it, but he knew the man just ditched her because he still wasn't over Lily.

"What will you tell Harry? I don't think he will be thrilled if you tell him he will be going to see a mind healer."

"I will tell him nothing. I thought maybe they can meet each other ' _by sheer chance'_ at my home. I will introduce her to him as an old friend of mine."

"Just don't underestimate Harry's intelligence. The boy adores you as much as Draco."

"I'm aware of this and if Melinda thinks that Harry will need more meetings with her, I will tell Harry, of course, but the first meetings are the most important ones. I don't want Harry to block out a possibility of help just because of the prejudice against mind healers and she _is_ an old friend of mine, so I'm not lying there."

"I know, I'm sorry. I appreciate what you are doing for us. I would be long lost without you."

Severus inclined his head and then took a sip of his drink and enjoyed the silence that once again fell over the room.

That is until a scream from above cut forcefully through the peace of the night.

AN: Awww... I know... how can I? I will do my best to update as soon as possible.


	9. Unhealed Wounds

_**Unhealed Wounds**_

Harry was awakened by a loud scream and looked around in bewilderment. He listened and then jerked violently as a second scream echoed through the silence. Draco? Was that Draco?

Worried, Harry scrambled out of his bed. Before he reached the door, though, he heard footsteps running up the stairs and down the corridor. He paused as he heard Lucius calling his son. Feeling like an intruder, Harry lowered his hand from the doorknob and wondered what he should do now.

He heard Lucius and Draco talking but couldn't make out any words. Unsure, he stood in the middle of his room. But then he remembered Draco had been at his side as he, Harry, had a nightmare, too. So, carefully, he stepped out of his room and walked over to Draco's door. It was slightly ajar and a soft orange glow could be seen, coming from inside the room.

Harry was about to enter when Draco's words froze him in place.

oxo

"He takes so much of your time."

"I know, my Dragon. Harry needs a lot of reassuring and help right now. With time it will get better. However, rest assured I will always have time for you, too. Never think I have no time for you. You are still very important to me," Lucius reassured while hugging his son sitting on his lap.

"I thought... I don't know... I felt left out. You didn't even react after the stunt in Diagon Alley. You used to spank me if I did something like that, but you didn't even really scold us. I mean, I knew you wouldn't blame Harry... but you didn't punish me either. It's... it's not that I like being punished but... I don't know... it felt as if I weren't important enough any longer."

Lucius was stunned. Draco had been expecting punishment? Well, he couldn't really blame his son. He was right, just some weeks ago Draco would have earned himself a trip over Lucius' knee but Harry had changed Lucius' perspective on this matter. Harry had changed a lot of habits. No wonder Draco felt lost.

"I'm sorry, Dragon. I know a lot has changed since Harry came here. These changes have been necessary for Harry's well-being. I admit, I never considered what they would mean for you. I wasn't really aware that the changes are affecting you, too. Now I understand why you felt so overlooked when I told you I needed to talk with Harry in private."

"It hurt me. 'specially because you barely have time for anything else beside your work. What are you working on anyway?" Draco asked accusingly.

Lucius grimaced while he admitted: "Harry's birthday party, the hearing of the Dursleys and Harry's adoption."

Draco's eyes widened. So... Harry again. He tried to stand up, but Lucius didn't let go of him. "No, Draco, listen. I will spend time with you. As you know, Harry is with Severus in the morning. We can do something together then, okay?"

"Really?" Draco asked unsure.

"I promise you, I will spend the morning with you. I love you and I'm sorry, I didn't realise how hard it was for you. Please, let me know whenever you struggle with any changes in the future, will you?"

At these words Draco hugged his dad and nodded into his shoulder. "Okay. I love you, too."

"Do you think you will be able to sleep now?"

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Draco asked and Lucius couldn't deny him his wish. He nodded with a smile and helped his son back into bed.

Oxo

Carefully, without making any noise, Harry retreated, sure that Draco didn't want to see him right now.

He felt really bad. He was stealing Draco's dad and he was stealing Lucius' time. Feeling miserable, he entered his room only to lock eyes with Mr. Paw, who obviously had woken up in the meantime.

With a sad smile he sat down on his bed and hugged the white cat to his chest. "Oh, Mr. Paw. What shall I do? Why am I so much trouble?"

The white cat started to purr and Harry felt better immediately. And then an idea struck Harry. "It's time to give Draco something back for you, Mr. Paw. Tomorrow," so Harry resolved, "tomorrow I will work out how to repay Draco for giving me you."

With this thought, Harry fell back asleep with a small smile on his face.

He never noticed when Lucius went to check on him, or when said man sighed in relief as he saw Harry sleeping peacefully with Mr. Paw resting next to his head.

Oxoxo

The next morning at breakfast both boys were unusually quiet. Draco looked introverted and Harry seemed to be very determined. The black-blond-haired boy had a thoughtful expression and frowned every now and then as if he was pondering over something.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Lucius finally asked.

The boy looked up and smiled. "Yes." And with that he went back to eating.

After breakfast he waved goodbye to Draco and Lucius and flooed over to Professor Snape.

There, he stopped dead. On the sofa sat a woman with dark brown, curly hair, drinking tea and reading the Daily Prophet.

 _'Wrong fireplace!'_ Harry though in a panic and was about to turn around.

"Hello. You must be Harry. Severus told me you would come. Come and sit with me, he will be back in a bit."

Harry frowned deeply, not moving an inch. _Who the hell is this woman and what is she doing here?_

"Don't worry, I don't bite. I'm Melinda by the way. I'm a good friend of Severus'."

"I have never heard about you," Harry said, still confused. _Where is Severus? Surly he wouldn't leave me with a stranger?_

"I would be surprised if you had. He prefers to pretend I don't exist," Melinda said while shrugging a shoulder.

"Oh?" the boy said and carefully came nearer. "So... erm... what are you doing here? Visiting?"

Melinda smiled warmly. "That is at least what he would like you to believe."

Harry's eyes widen. "So... why are you here then?"

"I'm here to meet _you_ ," the woman explained, still smiling.

"Me? Why?" Harry asked, getting nervous. _What the hell is going on here?_

"To see if you need help."

"Help?"

Melinda nodded. "Yes. You see, I'm working with children who have lived through a hard time and struggle with their lives."

At that Harry wrinkled his nose. "So you are... what? A psychotherapist?"

Melinda chuckled at Harry's face but then explained with a soft voice: "I prefer the term mind healer."

Harry still didn't understand what was going on. Was he really so much trouble that Severus gave him up already? He had the impression the man was doing a great job.

"I guess I know what you are thinking," Melinda interrupted Harry's thoughts. "I have seen the same reaction on many faces already. But before you start to feel betrayed or forced into something you don't want, let me tell you this: You must be very important to Severus. He is not a man who asks for help easily. He prefers to solve things himself. The fact that he asked me to come here and meet you tells me that he is worried he might do something wrong. People only worry about someone who is really important to them."

Harry wrapped his arms protectively around himself and hung his head, thinking about Melinda's words. Then he looked up and asked: "Why didn't he warn me you were coming?"

Melinda shrugged her shoulders with an apologetic look. "He most likely feared you wouldn't agree to meet me, or would feel forced to meet me out of duty. He even asked me not to tell you who I am, but if you really want to work together with me, then I think it is important to be truthful to each other from the start."

"You sound like I have a choice," Harry said sceptically.

"Because it _is_ up to you. I am just an option you can choose, or not. Severus is still here for you and if you feel you can open up to him better than to anyone else, then that is okay; but sometimes people prefer to talk to someone who is unbiased," Melinda explained.

Harry still looked sceptical. He didn't know what to think about all this. "But... what would we talk about?"

"Whatever you want," came the reply.

Harry arched an eyebrow at this. "So we can also just talk about the weather?"

Melinda's eyes twinkled in amusement. "If you feel like it."

"And if I don't want to talk about anything?" Harry asked, not amused at all.

Melinda shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to."

"But obviously Severus expects me to talk to you," Harry pointed out.

At that, Melinda frowned and explained: "No, Severus wants you to get to know me."

Harry scratched the back of his neck while he said, "But he called you here, so it is clear that he wants me to work with you."

Melinda returned his smile. "Yes, he hopes you will take this chance. But really... You are not forced to. You can say no."

Harry sighed, overwhelmed. "How can I say no? I'm obviously too much trouble for him to handle."

Melinda's smile vanished once again to make place for a frown. "You are not too much trouble. Never think that. You went through events Severus hasn't and therefore he has no experience in that matter."

"And you have?" Harry snapped back, getting annoyed.

If Melinda was hurt by his outburst she didn't show it. She replied in a still friendly tone: "No, I have no personal experience, but I learned a lot about the psyche of humans and I'm still learning whenever I work with a child. Every child is unique, as are the difficulties they are facing in life. So I'm confident that I can help you."

"And you healed them... the other children? You healed them all?"

Melinda fixed the boy with a serious expression and explained: "What I do is more a kind of coaching. I show you ways to handle situations that cause you stress or fear or despair. But to answer your question: Till now I was able to help all of the children I worked with."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest considering everything that had been said.

"Do you have any question about me?" Melinda asked after several minutes of silence.

The boy looked up again. "May I ask whatever I want?"

This caused Melinda to laugh out loud. "Well, you may ask whatever you want, but I can't guarantee that I will answer you."

Harry gave her a half-smile. "Fair enough." Sighing, Harry finally sat down and looked thoughtfully at the strange woman. Then he asked: "How did you get to know Severus?"

"I met him at a potions conference in Milan. At the time Severus was working on mind potions. After his big success with the Wolfsbane Potion enabling a werewolf to keep their mind while in wolf form, he conducted further studies in this area. Anti-Stress Potions, Calming Potions, Mind Clearing Potions, things like that. He was so ambitious in his work, I was fascinated by him.

"We became friends but he always kept his distance. I was irritated by that but one day he told me that he wasn't ready for more. Shortly after that he went to America for a year and since then I haven't heard or seen much of him. I admit, I was surprised that he contacted me now."

"I'm also surprised that he tolerates me now," Harry admitted.

"What do you mean?" Melinda looked surprised.

"Well, when I started school, he hated me. I always wondered why. I believed he hated me because of my fame, even though I hate my fame to no end. Now I know I look too much like my father and he obviously mistook me for him."

This time Melinda frowned. "That must have been very hard for you."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. I'm used to getting a raw deal. My relatives did that all the time."

"Be that as it may, you can't tell me that it didn't hurt you," Melinda pointed out in a very gentle voice.

Again, Harry shrugged and then hung his head. "It doesn't matter any longer," he finally whispered, "he changed. He is very nice to me now. He understands me even better than Dad, I mean, Lucius."

"Believe me, Harry. It does matter. Everything you lived through does matter, because that made you the person you are now."

"And what person am I?" Harry wondered.

Melinda got a serious face once again as she explained: "You are a warrior and like most warriors you have wounds. The wounds on the outside heal easily, but the wounds on the inside don't, because they are unseen, but there nevertheless. Sometimes they heal on their own with time and sometimes they don't heal at all; still they change us, in the way we are and act. But the worst is, they are easily reopened. That's why many people build walls around their most sensitive part. It's not healthy though. Do you know why?" Melinda asked.

Harry was a bit overwhelmed, but he gave it some thought and finally asked: "Because you get heartless and cold?"

"Hmm... that may happen but I mean something else."

After Harry thought a bit more about it without getting an idea, he shook his head.

"Nothing can really heal behind the wall and when the wall breaks down someday, then the pain will hit you with full force. So, why am I telling you that?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "You think, I have built up a wall?"

With a soft smile, Melinda nodded. "Yes. I'm sure of it. You accepted the abuse you went through as something that can't be helped. You do not fight it any longer. I'm convinced that you did, once, but you most likely got hurt more in the process and so you built up a wall. On the outside, it seems you have given up, but inside you are hiding and protecting the area where you are hurt. When I work with children like you, I try to gently take the wall down and heal or at least make it better and I teach you to resist the urge to rebuild the wall. The desired outcome will be that you are more at peace with yourself, your emotions will not take over your body and you can control your magic better."

Harry's eyes were big now. "You mean, I will get the accidental magic back under control?"

"It will not happen overnight. Taking down walls is a painful experience. Like a plaster you tear off a still open wound," Melinda cautioned. "But yes."

"Ouch." Harry grimaced at that.

"Yes, ouch indeed. So what do you think?"

Harry ran his hand through his hair and then scratched his neck in uncertainty. If he spent time with Severus and Melinda, it would give Draco more alone-time with his father. And if Melinda could really help him control his magic, he would also be less trouble for Lucius and Severus. It saddened him a bit that he was obviously too much for anyone to handle, to the point where he needed a mind healer; but he definitely didn't want to be more trouble than necessary.

"Okay, so how are we doing this?" he finally agreed.

Melinda wasn't fooled by Harry's words. She knew, the boy agreed to this for the wrong reasons. On the other hand she also knew, that Harry would really benefit from meeting with her. This boy in front of her was badly wounded and the public pressure that no doubt lay on his shoulders didn't help either. It would take a while until Harry would open up to her completely, and even longer until Harry realized that nothing of this was his fault; but she really wanted to try to help this young man.

"We will meet each other twice a week for a start. If you need me outside of these meetings, I can come over whenever need be. I usually only work with one client at a time, that allows me to fully focus on you and your needs."

Harry bit his lip and nodded. "And where?"

"We can meet each other either here or at your place," Melinda said.

"So Lucius is also aware of this?" Harry asked, somewhat hurt.

"No," came the reply from the doorway, "Lucius just knows that I planned this. He isn't aware that you are seeing Melinda today. Even I didn't think that she would respond to my request that soon." Severus entered the room and walked over to Harry and Melinda.

Harry stood and looked at Severus accusingly. "Why didn't you tell _me_? I know I'm a lot of trouble, but you could have explained to me that you knew someone who can help. There was no reason to keep this a secret."

Severus sighed. "You are no trouble, I told you that yesterday. I just believe that Melinda can help you better. She has a lot of experience with abused children."

Harry cringed at these words but Severus went on: "I know, you don't want to hear it but that is what you are. You are-"

"Severus," Melinda cut the man off and shook her head.

Harry still looked unhappy. "You should have told me," he whispered.

"I... yes, maybe you are right. I'm sorry. It's just, I only had the idea after your accidental magic outburst yesterday. I have felt so helpless as I stood in front of your door and was unable to enter. Your screams cut through my heart. I was afraid... I..." Severus shook his head, unable to express the horror in words, that he lived through the day before.

"But you did help me..." Harry whispered with glittering tears in his eyes he refused to let fall. "Your voice helped me to calm down. You words... they made sense to me... I mean, I understand now why Aunt Petunia never liked me."

Severus smiled at that and then wrapped his arms around Harry, who snuggled into the embrace immediately.

Melinda watched and frowned as she saw the pain in Severus' eyes. It was obvious that the man also carried around unhealed wounds but it looked like Harry and Severus were helping each other at least to some degree.


	10. Weasleys, Black and Brothers

_**Weasleys, Black and Brothers**_

„Severus? How can I help you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, surprised, as the black-haired man called her via floo.

„May I come through? I need to talk to you and your son Ronald."

Molly's eyes widened at that, wondering what her son had done to cause the stern professor to call her. Then she stepped back and agreed. „Of course!"

As soon as the man stepped out of the fireplace, the sevenfold mother asked nervously: „Do you want some tea or coffee? Do you want to eat something? You are far too thin. You should-"

„Molly," Severus interrupted the woman, friendly but clearly, "I am not one of your kids. Thank you for the offer, but no, thank you. Is your youngest son home?"

"Ron, yes, yes. I... erm... will go and see if he is awake already. Make yourself at home!" the woman said while she hurried out of the kitchen. Severus rolled his eyes at her antics and remained standing. He had no intention to stay here longer than necessary, much less to make himself at home. The Weasley household was far too chaotic for his taste.

Instead of going up, the woman screamed from the bottom of the stairs. Severus cringed at the loud voice. No, he would definitely never feel at home here.

"He will be down shortly," Molly said as she re-entered the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want some tea while waiting?"

"Yes, I am quite sure" Severus reassured her, forcing himself not to snap at the woman.

It was obvious that the Weasley matriarch was not used to just standing still for a second. At first she looked lost, but then she busied herself with some pots she rearranged on a small shelf. Severus watched her for a while before turning around and looking out of the window. The twins Fred and George were in the garden, fooling around. Obviously, they were supposed to de-gnome it, but instead they were playing catch, throwing the poor creatures at each other.

"Mum, what do you need? I told you I wanted to sleep in," an annoyed voice called out and then some stomping noises were heard as the owner of the voice pounded down the stairs.

As the sleepy boy stepped into the kitchen, he stopped dead when his eyes caught the imposing black-clad man.

Severus fixed the boy with a disgusted look. The youngest Weasley boy was uncombed, the trousers looked like they would slide off his hips any second and the shirt was brightly orange and harshly clashing with the boy's hair colour.

"Professor Snape wants to talk to you," Ron's mother explained while she filled a cup with hot cocoa and placed a plate onto the table filled with pancakes. "Here, come and sit down."

Slowly, Ron moved to the table, his eyes never leaving his potions professor. As Molly sat down next to her son, Severus sighed and finally sat down himself, taking the place farthest away from the two.

"I'm here to inform you that you are invited to Harry's belated birthday party," the man explained his unexpected visit.

Ron's mouth fell open, with food in it and all, but before he could say anything, Severus went on, "but there are conditions for you to be allowed to attend."

At that Ron closed his mouth and frowned. Then he gulped the food down and asked, "Conditions? What is that supposed to mean? I'm his best friend. Of course I will come!"

"Are you aware where he is staying right now?" At Ron's puzzled frown Severus turned to Molly with a questioning look. "Are you?"

Molly Weasley nodded grimly. "I can put the pieces together. I still can't imagine how _he_ managed to get through with this."

Severus's eyes turned cold. " _He_ is a father himself, as you surely know, and he has many friends within the ministry. Besides, I can assure you that Harry is much better off now that he is away from his relatives."

Molly huffed. "Are you _that_ sure? He is a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake," she pointed out.

Severus contradicted immediately. "He was a spy for the Order and you know it."

Molly laughed humourlessly. "Oh yeah, and he was under Imperius when he did all those cruel things, wasn't he? Hell, he even killed his own wife!"

Severus's look turned thunderous. "You have no idea what you are talking about. Narcissa Malfoy isn't dead! The Dark Lord kidnapped her when he suspected that Lucius wasn't faithful to him. Lucius was forced to do horrible things or he would have lost her. Tell me, how far would _you_ go if Arthur got kidnapped and held prisoner by the Dark Lord?"

"You have no proof for that. He could have told us that, just to justify his actions," Mrs. Weasley pointed out.

Severus jumped out of his seat. "I see. Then I'm sorry for taking your time. I will take my leave."

"Wait!" Ron's voice suddenly interrupted the quarrelling adults. "Harry is staying with the Malfoys?" he asked with big, disbelieving eyes.

"No, Ron. You are not going!" Molly said immediately.

"Harry is my _friend_!" Ron argued back. "I tried to write to him all summer, as we promised to do. I don't know why he wouldn't write back, but if he is inviting me to come to his birthday party then I want to go!"

"You can't trust him any longer," Molly pointed out. "If the poor boy is staying with the Malfoys, then he is lost. Lucius will use him for his own goals."

Severus scoffed and said once more: "You have no idea at all. Harry is in no condition to be used in any way. The _poor boy_ , as you call him, is in the middle of healing. He had broken bones and much more from those relatives of his. If his poor condition managed to make Lucius' heart go out to him, then surely you can see that Lucius is no monster. He is taking really good care of him."

"Mum, please, I want to see Harry. I'm his best friend! He needs me!" Ron pleaded.

Molly sighed. "Fine. If you must."

Severus glared at Molly for a long time but finally he pulled out an envelope and handed it over to Ron. Before he let go of the invitation, he said: "The conditions are as followed: No bad-mouthing of the Malfoys, and no quarrelling with Harry or the others at the party. Harry has been through a lot and right now he isn't completely stable, neither emotionally nor magically."

"Okay," Ron nodded and tried to pull the envelope out of the professor's grip. "I promise!" he added with a serious face.

"That means you need to behave yourself even towards Draco Malfoy!" Severus pointed out once more.

The red-haired boy nodded once more. "I will, as long as he is behaving, too."

Severus finally let go of the envelope and turned around. "I will pick you up in two days. Be ready at ten o'clock. I fear you will not be able to sleep in on Saturday!"

"Yes, sir!" Ron agreed and in the next moment the professor was gone.

-xox-

Lucius pulled his cloak closer around himself, but it did nothing to keep the cold away that crept into his bones. No cloak would be able to keep that sort of cold away. He sighed and kept his gaze locked on the head of the man in front of him. They walked along endless corridors and Lucius had to admit that he wouldn't be able to find his way out again on his own.

He fought hard to keep the despair at bay, at the same time he felt relieved that he wasn't forced to stay here for longer than necessary. He didn't want to imagine being imprisoned in such an ungodly place.

"Cell 405, Sirius Black. You have a maximum of ten minutes, Sir!" the prison guard informed Lucius as he opened the door to Sirius' cell. "Knock three times if you need to leave earlier."

"Thank you!" Lucius answered and then gulped as the door snapped closed behind him.

The small cell was poorly lit and the air was damp and smelly. There was just a single beam of light coming from a small window, or rather a tiny hole, far above the ground that stood in total contrast to the darkness of the room. Lucius squinted his eyes but he had a hard time making out the form of the man on the cot at the far end of the cell.

"Lucius Malfoy," a slow hoarse voice whispered suddenly. "How... unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lucius shuddered at the sound of the voice. He noticed slow movements as the man on the cot tried to sit up. Then he straighten his shoulders and explained. "I'm here on behalf of Harry Potter."

He had debated with himself to say Harry _Malfoy_ , but finally decided against that. He had no intention to enrage the man unnecessarily.

"Harry?" The voice suddenly sounded sad and broken. "Is he okay?"

Lucius thought hard on how to reply. Harry was okay, more or less, but on the other hand he was everything but okay. And as far as Lucius was aware, this man before him was partly to blame for Harry's misery.

"His parents got killed. How do you expect that he is fairing?"

"I will kill him," Sirius whispered to himself but Lucius heard him nonetheless and gulped nervously. His hand went to his wand just in case.

"Where...? … Who took him in?" Sirius asked.

"Albus Dumbledore put him in the care of Lily's sister," Lucius said.

"NO!" the man roared, horrified, and before Lucius could react, he was forcefully pushed against the wall. Two dirty hands grabbed the front of his cloak and an equally dirty face stared up at him.

"You need to get him out of there. Petunia is the vilest and most unreasonable muggle woman I have ever had the displeasure to meet."

Lucius sneered while shuddering in discomfort. "Keep your dirty hands to yourself, will you?"

Sirius's eyes widened in shock and he stepped back immediately. "I'm sorry. I... I just... I'm sorry." The shabby man tried to smooth the wrinkles in Mr. Malfoy's robe but Lucius battered the dirty hands away.

He pulled out his wand and cast a cleaning charm on himself and, after some consideration, on Sirius Black, too. Then he pulled himself up to his full height and said, "Rest assured, Harry is no longer staying with his muggle relatives!"

"Thank Merlin!" Sirius whispered, relieved.

Lucius frowned at the black-haired man. He had to admit that for someone who had already been staying in here for nearly eleven years, the man was more coherent than he had thought.

"Harry asked about you. He wants to know the truth about what happened that night on Halloween. He wrote a letter to you and I agreed to play owl for him. Will you be able to answer his letter?"

"Yes, yes of course!" Sirius said with tears in his eyes. "Does he know that I'm innocent?"

"Are you?" Lucius answered the question with a counter question.

"Yes. Hell, yes. Peter was the secret keeper. This rat. I will kill him as soon as I get the chance," the shabby man promised.

"It was my belief that Peter Pettigrew was already dead," Lucius said with an arched eyebrow, wondering what the man was on about.

"Oh no. The rat just vanished. Transformed and vanished. I wonder where he is hiding. He cut off his own finger, you have to know. If you ever see a rat with a missing finger, that will be Peter. You should also tell Harry."

"You can tell him. Here. That's his letter." Lucius handed over Harry's letter and a small graphite pen.

Hastily, Sirius opened the letter. His eyes wandered over the written lines and his eyes filled with tears once again. "I'm so sorry, pup. I should have stayed with you," he whispered to himself once more.

As he finished reading the letter he turned the page and wrote back. His handwriting was horrible, but he hoped Harry would be able to decipher it.

Lucius watched the man with disgust and pity. If it was true that Sirius Black was innocent, then it must be horrible what this man was going through. He considered demanding a hearing. That would be a big thing. Eleven years innocently imprisoned. What a scandal!

A sharp knock against the iron door made both inhabitants of the cell jump. "Time's up!"

Sirius hastily signed the letter and gave it back to Lucius who let it vanish into his cloak.

"I hope dearly you have been truthful, or I will make your life even more miserable," Lucius threatened.

But Sirius didn't take any offence. Instead he asked: "Please, take good care of Harry. I know what happened to your wife. I know you are a good man. Take care of Harry for me. The boy means a lot to me!"

As the door opened, the black-haired man stepped back into the shadow of the far corner.

"I will!" Lucius promised and then left the cell, deep in thought. This visit didn't go as expected.

-xox-

Draco stood at the side of the pond skimming some stones. He knew that it was not fair of him to avoid Harry like he had been doing the last few days. He didn't even understand why he was doing it. He was glad that he had a brother now and as long as Harry had been physically ill, he had felt the need to protect him. But then he noticed that his new brother was taking much more than Draco was ready to share. First his dad and now Severus.

Every morning Harry was with Draco's godfather. In the afternoon he often spend time with Draco's dad to learn history of magic. Harry's birthday party would be in two days and Draco didn't even know what he should give Harry. On top of that, he would have to play nice with Weasley and Granger, because Harry was a ticking time bomb right now. Every moment his magic could burst out of him.

Okay, he didn't envy him for that, and he could see that Harry hated his loss of control. It must be frustrating for his adopted brother. But then, it only showed how powerful Harry already was. He made a stuffed cat come to life, for heaven's sake. This was so unfair. Harry grew up among muggles, had a muggleborn mother. He'd known of the magical world just for a year now. How could he be so much more powerful that Draco, who grew up with magic and who was a pureboold through and through?

Draco know how to handle a weak Harry, but it was becoming obvious that Harry was anything but weak. At least in power. Emotionally, he was unstable, but surely this would change with time.

Yes, Draco was jealous of his brother. He feared his father and Severus would love Harry more than him. He was nothing compared to Harry.

The next stone Draco threw bounced over the water's surface at least eight times before it finally sank to the bottom of the pond.

"Wow. Can you teach me how to do this?" a shy voice asked him suddenly.

Draco sighed and slowly turned his head to look at the green-eyed boy next to him. "What do you want?" Draco asked, a little annoyed.

At first, Harry grew silent, but then he whispered: "I want my brother back."

Draco rolled his eyes, turned away and skimmed the next stone over the water.

"What am I doing wrong? What can I change?" Harry asked once more.

Draco ignored the questions and skimmed some more stones. Finally, he glanced at Harry and replied: "You aren't doing anything wrong. It's just... A lot has changed since you got here. I need to come to terms with it."

"I'm not the brother you wished for, am I?" Harry asked in a sad voice, "I'm more a freak than I ever have been." Harry sank down to the grass and pulled his legs up to hug his knees to his chest. Then he scoffed to himself. "Even Severus thinks that. I mean, Melinda is nice and all, but I'm not sure if she will be able to help me. This accidental magic got even worse rather than better."

Draco paused and slowly turned towards Harry. With a confused frown he asked: "Who is Melinda?"

"My shrink," Harry answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Your... what?" asked Draco, horrified. "What are you talking about?"

Harry looked up to the blond boy and explained: "Severus got me a mind healer. I'm seeing her twice a week. Today was my second meeting."

"I didn't know that. Is it because your break-down a few days ago?"

"Yeah," Harry whispered and shuddered as he remembered that incident. "I was about to cut myself to numb the pain inside me, but then I saw Mr. Paw. I remembered when you gave him to me and all the things you did and said to me and I realised that at least for you and your dad, I wasn't just the dirt under the carpet. With you I got the feeling of acceptance and lo... love. I hugged Mr. Paw and I concentrated on the new feelings I learned thanks to you and I wished dearly that it all was true. That this all was real. And then Mr. Paw was alive. I believe I freaked Severus out."

Draco huffed and then sat down next to Harry. "Not only him, I can assure you!"

Harry nodded to himself, biting on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry that I'm so much trouble. It's just... I still can't believe that the Dursleys got money for my care. I... I don't _want_ to believe it and I definitely don't want to see them at the hearing. What if my magic breaks out again and I do something freakish?"

"Why are you telling _me_ all this? Shouldn't you talk to this mind healer of yours?" Draco asked. He didn't feel up to dealing with Harry's problems right now.

Harry turned away and blinked rapidly, trying his best to hide the hurt these words had caused and to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. "Yeah. You are probably right. I'm sorry I bothered you." Harry tried to gulp down the lump in his throat and stood. "Thank you for listening nonetheless."

Then Harry turned and walked away.

Draco knew he had said something wrong the moment Harry turned away. He had seen the pain in the green eyes but had found himself unable to apologize. He watched the other boy retreating before his guilty conscience finally kicked in. Swearing and muttering to himself, he jumped to his feet and ran after his brother.

"Harry! Harry, wait. I'm sorry!"

But Harry went on. He even fastened his steps. He didn't want Draco to see the tears that now ran freely down his cheeks.

Finally, Draco caught up to him. "Harry, wait!" he said once more and placed a hand on Harry's upper arm.

Harry stopped but didn't look at his brother. "Look, Draco. I'm sorry I'm such a nuisance. I don't know what to do. I don't know what you are expecting from me but it's obvious I'm doing something wrong. I'm not brother material."

Draco scoffed at that. "And I am? Do you really believe I, of all people, know how to be a brother? I don't know what to do either. One second I want to protect you, the next second I'm too overwhelmed with feelings I never had before. A brother is something completely different from a friend. We live together now and we share everything I used to have for myself alone.

"I know you have problems and I don't envy you for them, but I have problems myself, okay? I try my best to accept the new situation, but like you, I need time to adjust. Things have changed very fast, don't you agree?"

Harry looked at Draco with a new understanding. "Yeah. Things have changed fast, indeed."

"I'm sorry if my previous words hurt you. I was just not ready to listen to you," Draco apologised.

"It's okay. You don't have to. I just wanted to know what I can change. I like you as a brother and I missed you the last few days. In my eyes, you have been great at this brother thing," Harry reassured.

"You are a hopelessly over-emotional Gryffindor, you know that? Just because I need time to myself doesn't mean I don't like you anymore. We _are_ brothers, now. Nothing will ever change that. But that doesn't mean that I have to spend my whole day with you."

"Of course not," Harry agreed, "I'm sorry if I'm too … erm … clingy. I guess deep down I'm still worried that you will turn into a Dudley one day."

"What's a dudley?" Draco asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Dudley is my cousin. He and his friends loved to play a game called 'Harry hunting' and-"

"You are comparing me with your muggle cousin?" Draco shrieked.

"No. No. You are misunderstanding me. I-"

Draco interrupted Harry once more to point out: "I will never hurt you on purpose!"

"I know. I mean... " Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it in the process. "I didn't mean to say that I believe that one day, you will play Harry hunting, too. But … you see … this first week. You got me in trouble on purpose. You knew it would get me in trouble with your dad. So … I just don't want that to happen ever again and I dearly hope you will tell me if I do something wrong before you get all Slytherin on me, okay?"

Draco closed his eyes while he gritted his teeth. He hated any reminder of this dreadful first week of Harry's stay at the Malfoys. He had been a right git, but that was before Draco started to see Harry as a brother. Before he started to get friendly feelings towards this new family addition.

"I see you are still blaming me for that," Draco finally said, suppressing the hurt in his voice. "Well, I promise you, I will never ever do that to you again."

Harry frowned. "I'm not blaming you any longer. It's just something I experienced and I fear, if I annoy you too much, you could-"

"No. Damn you, Harry. No! I can _not_!", Draco yelled. "I can't ever do that again, because you are my brother now. Don't you see? That first week, you were not my brother, but my enemy! I have changed! I accepted you as part of the family. _My_ family. I keep good care of what is mine! I don't have to like you day and night, but I will never hurt you on purpose! But then again; I'm new to this brother thing. I may make mistakes."

Harry was startled by Draco's outburst, but also touched. Then he nodded and said in a low voice: "I may make mistakes myself. I'm sorry if I brought back bad memories."

Draco huffed. "I'm not proud of what happened that first week. And if you don't want to make me feel guilty all over again, please do not mention it again."

"I didn't mean to make you feel guilty," Harry reassured.

Draco nodded, but then went on: "And I don't like that you still fear I could turn back into that monster."

Harry hung his head. As if he could switch off his worries like that. But then he looked up and tentatively smiled at Draco. "I understand now that my fear is unfounded. I believe you. You _have_ changed."

"Fine. Are you okay now?" Draco asked, wondering if Harry truly mean it.

Harry shrugged a shoulder. Would he ever be okay? "I'm better now, thank you." At least that wasn't a lie.

"Well then, come on. I'm sure dinner will be ready soon."


	11. A Happy Birthday?

A Happy Birthday?

Despite all the conflicting emotions that Draco had felt the previous few days, he was excited and eagerly looking forwards to this day. It was Harry's birthday – well, not really, but it was the day of Harry's belated birthday party.

His father had asked Draco for help with the planning and now Draco was proud of himself and curious how Harry would like it.

The hardest part had been the guest list. Neither Draco nor his father knew much about who Harry had befriended, except the Weasley boy and the Granger girl. So Draco invited some of his own friends who he hoped would be open-minded to the change of relation between Harry and Draco. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini and even Daphne Greengrass. Draco would have liked to invite more, but he just couldn't think of anyone else. His other classmates had parents that were loyal followers of the Dark Lord and therefore they had been taught that Harry Potter was the devil incarnate. Theo, Blaise and Daphne were more like Draco. They were all happy the Dark Lord was no longer amongst them. They all feared the day the Dark Lord would return.

Pushing aside all thoughts of dark wizards and dark lords, Draco looked over at his father.

The man was on the terrace, giving the last instructions to the house elves about the arrangements. As his gaze fell onto his son, he gave a sharp nod and Draco bolted upstairs to wake up his brother-to-be.

Oxo

Harry grumbled sleepily as the sunlight suddenly hit his face. Even through his closed eyelids it was far too bright. Before he could hide under his blanket, though, it was yanked forcefully down to his legs.

"What the hell?" Harry yelped and bolted straight up on his bed. His sleep-addled mind cleared up within seconds and Harry stared at Draco in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

Draco grinned evilly. "I'm waking you up, what else?"

"So I noticed, but why? I'm tired. Just leave me alone." Harry tried to jerk his blanket out of Draco's grip.

"No!" Draco protested. "You can sleep tomorrow all you wish, but not today. Everything is ready and waiting!"

"Waiting? For what?" Harry wondered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"For you, of course. Come on. Get ready and come down!" Draco said and then turned to leave the room, but before he reached the door he warned: "And don't you dare fall asleep again. Next time I will use a water charm!"

Harry grumbled once more before he pushed his legs over the bedside and turned his head to look at Mr. Paw, who was still sleeping peacefully on his pillow. Harry smiled at the sight and carefully ran his fingers through the soft fur. The white cat started to purr without waking up.

A warm feeling spread through Harry's body. He loved his new cat and whenever he saw it, he felt greatly thankful towards Draco who gifted him with it. After Hedwig, Mr. Paw was the most precious present he ever got.

Oxo

A few minutes later, Harry hopped down the steps to the ground level where Dobby waited for him to inform him that breakfast had been served outside on the terrace. Harry frowned but followed the eager house elf.

"I wish you a very happy birthday, young master!" Dobby suddenly said and then vanished.

Harry stopped dead. Birthday? He remembered Lucius talking about giving him a birthday party, but Harry had thought it would be a lunch or dinner. Why would they start that early with breakfast?

Chewing on his bottom lip, Harry stepped out onto the terrace where a long table stood loaded with all kinds of goodies. Next to it was a smaller one with a mountain of presents. Surely they weren't all for him. He didn't even know that many people.

Finally his eyes travelled over to the table that was set for eating and next to which stood a small group of children with Lucius and Severus at the back. They yelled cheerfully: "Happy birthday, Harry!"

Harry stood there and stared, shock and disbelief written all over his face. He tried to say something but his brain failed to supply him with the right words.

"Harry!" a girl suddenly cried and threw herself at the frozen boy. In the next moment wild brown curls blocked Harry's view.

"Hermione?" Harry wondered.

"I have been so worried! You haven't answered any of my letters although we promised to write to each other! I... I... Oh, Harry. I'm so glad you are okay!" The words bubbled out of the over-emotional girl while she nearly choked the poor boy to death.

"It's okay, 'Mione. I'm okay," Harry said, patting the girl awkwardly on the back.

Luckily, as fast as the girl broke down, she pulled herself together again just as fast. "Right. Sorry. Just... Happy birthday!" She said, stepped back and smiled sheepishly as she finally realised that everybody was watching her. With a deep scarlet blush she rejoined the group.

Harry followed her with his eyes before looking at the red-haired boy next to her, who looked a bit out of place. He had a half-smile and said: "Hi, mate!"

"Ron!" Harry said in wonder and smiled happily. "You are also here?"

"Of course, can't let you face the snakes all alone!"

"Oi!" The Slytherins protested vehemently.

Harry chuckled and then his gaze met Draco's, Severus's and finally Lucius's. "Thank you! Thank you all!"

"This is your day, Harry. Enjoy it!" Lucius said and with these words the breakfast buffet – or was it brunch? – was opened. Draco introduced Theo, Blaise and Daphne to Harry and the three Slytherins all also wished him a nice birthday.

Harry was wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming. Gryffindors and Slytherins together at one table without quarrelling. Hermione was still eager to learn about all that happened but she tried hard to keep her curiosity at bay. Lucius had warned them all not to overtax Harry or pester him with questions. And she could see the uncertain glint in Harry's eyes. He was happy, at least to some degree, but he also looked insecure and fragile.

"My Dad... erm... I mean Lucius... he thinks that Dumbledore somehow blocked my mail. So I wasn't receiving any letters. I'm sorry that I never wrote back. I was confused by the lack of letters and feared you two didn't want to be friends with me anymore," Harry finally answered Hermione's first question.

"Oh, Harry. Why would you think that?" The girl asked, horrified by the suggestion that she could have let her best friend down.

Harry shrugged. He wasn't up to talking about his relatives and how Dudley made sure nobody ever stayed friends with him. It still hurt to think about it. Now more than ever. Since starting his sessions with Melinda, he realised more and more how wrongly and unfairly he'd been treated by the Dursleys. He never really thought much about it before. It was just the way it had been. The more he understood the wrongdoings of the Dursleys, the more it hurt. And it was hard to accept that he had been abused.

"We are your best mates and we will stand by you no matter what!" Ron said in a strong voice, daring Harry to doubt his words.

Harry smiled, touched by the deep emotions showing in his friends' eyes. "Thank you. It means a lot to me!"

"And who forced you to dye your hair Malfoy-blond?" Ron asked. He tried to make it sound joking, although he was a bit irritated by the blond strands of hair on his friend's head.

"Nobody forced me. Draco and I thought it would look good on me," Harry contradicted in a soft voice. Then he shuddered. That also hadn't been one of his best days, as Lucius wasn't all that happy with Draco's hairstyling idea.

Ron was about to argue but Hermione stepped onto his toe and shut him up. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Erm... well, what have _you_ done over the holidays?" Harry finally asked to divert the conversation away from himself.

"Oh, I was in France with my parents." Hermione started to tell him about her holidays and Harry smiled again. It was so much better to hear from his friends than to talk about what he had been through. Even Hermione noticed that Harry relaxed more and more during her stories and therefore she kept talking.

Much to Draco's annoyance. "Does this girl ever breathe?" he asked Theo, who sat next to him.

Theo shrugged. "Well, Harry seems to like it and it is _his_ party, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I just thought, well..." Draco trailed off shrugging.

"You hoped he would make friends with us?" Theo supplied.

"Yeah."

"Maybe he will. This party just started. Sooner or later Granger will have to stop talking. I mean, how much can happen in a few weeks?"

"Maybe we should play a game of Quidditch?" Blaise wondered.

Draco shook his head. "I'm not sure Harry is allowed to."

"Why, is he grounded or something?"

"No, underweight," Draco whispered.

"Aw... poor Draco, there you finally have a brother and still you have nobody to play Quidditch with," Blaise joked.

Draco punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up!"

"Maybe we should play truth or dare? That way we could get to know each other a bit," Daphne suggested, loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

Draco and Theo groaned but Harry turned to look at the girl and asked: "What's that?"

"Truth or dare, surely you know it. It's a classic among the party games," Blaise said without thinking.

Harry shook his head, feeling stupid; but before he could hang his head, Hermione helped him out. "It's quite easy. The name says it all. A popular variant is "spin the bottle". You spin a bottle and the person the bottle ends up pointing towards needs to do something, or tell something about themselves that is true."

"Okay, sounds like fun. What happens if you don't want to do or say something?" Harry asked carefully.

"Erm... it's your party, so I would say you choose what should happen in that case."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "But I... erm, I don't know. Maybe this person could get another question or task?"

Everybody nodded in agreement, nobody dared to refuse Harry this back door for the game.

"So all we need is a bottle?" Harry asked and before he could call for a house elf, Dobby appeared already with an empty bottle in his hands. "Erm... Thanks!"

They cleared the table and placed the bottle in the middle. Hermione gave it a push and it started to spin. It stopped as it pointed towards Theodore and the boy groaned. "Why always me?"

"Truth or dare?" Hermione asked.

"Truth, I guess," Theo answered nervously.

"Okay. Erm..." Hermione thought for a while and then asked: "What do most of your friends think about you that is totally untrue?"

"As if I have that many friends. Hmm... well...let's see. Most of my friends think that I hate Chocolate Frogs, but in truth, I love them."

"Really?" Malfoy arched an eyebrow.

"Yes. I don't know why everybody thinks I don't like them. I even started to collect the cards but I haven't gotten very far yet."

"Okay, good to know. Next birthday you will get a box full of Chocolate Frogs!" Draco said and chuckled.

Theo grabbed the bottle and twisted it anew. It spun a few times and then pointed towards Ron. "Truth or dare?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably, unsure how much he could trust the other. "Erm... truth."

Theo smiled at the nervous look, then he asked: "What do you fear the most?"

Immediately Ron relaxed again. This questions wasn't as evil as he would have thought. "Spiders," he answered easily.

"Spiders? Really? Not dragons, or werewolves, or vampires?" Blaise asked.

"Well, I haven't met any of them but spiders... They have far too many legs," Ron explained and the others laughed.

Ron took the bottle and after some rotations it pointed at Hermione.

"Truth!" Hermione said even before Ron asked.

"Okay. Hmm... Is there something you like more than books?"

"Hmm... I really love books very much, but yes, there is something that I like more." Hermione paused and then looked at Harry and said a single word. "Friends!"

Harry blushed and looked down, their earlier talk clearly in mind.

Draco was next and Hermione asked how much time he needed every morning to style his hair. The girl blushed while asking, but Theo and Blaise laughed, amused, and Daphne deadpanned that it was surely more time than anyone else.

Draco huffed and crossed his arms. "If you must know, it's ten minutes at most."

While the others still sniggered, Draco grabbed the bottle and gave it a strong spin. It stopped at Harry this time. Harry gulped and looked up at his soon-to-be-brother.

"Well, _brother,_ truth or dare?"

"Erm... truth?"

Draco nodded and then thought hard to find a good question. After a while he locked eyes with Harry and asked: "Why did the Sorting Hat take that long to sort you?"

Harry froze. Draco knew the answer to that already, so he would know if Harry lied. The green-eyed boy started to chew on his bottom lip. Was he ready to confess to his friends that he had the potential to be a Slytherin? How would they react? Would Ron still stand by his side no matter what?

Carefully, Harry let his gaze wander from Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Daphne to Hermione and finally Ron. They all looked eager to hear the answer. "Erm... The Sorting Hat wasn't entirely sure where to put me," he finally admitted. He could still hear the hat's exact words in his mind:

" _Hmm. Difficult. Very Difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes – and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"_

And Harry had begged the hat not to put him into Slytherin. He had heard from Ron that it was the house of his parents' murderer and he knew already that Draco was in Slytherin. At that time he didn't like Draco very much.

" _Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that – no? Well, if you're sure – better be GRYFFINDOR!"_

"It considered putting me into Slytherin; said I would be great there," Harry whispered.

Silence met his words. Fearfully, Harry looked towards Ron and Hermione. Surprise was clearly written across their faces. Then Hermione squinted her eyes at Harry and asked in a stern voice: "You are better not thinking that that is going to change anything! You are still the boy I met on the train. Knowing that you also have Slytherin potential doesn't change the boy I got to know. It doesn't change who you are. You do understand that the principle of the houses is to make it easier for you to find friends, not to make foes of people from other houses, don't you?"

Harry blushed and then stuttered: "Erm... yes... of course."

"If anything...," Blaise started, "...this revelation gives us Slytherins more reasons to make friends with you."

Harry smiled at that but then he glanced back at Ron, who still hadn't said anything. Ron looked a bit shocked. He was so used to belittling the Slytherins; to seeing them just as dark wizards in training. Yes, he promised Snape not start a fight with the Slytherins, but he wasn't sure what to think about Harry being half Slytherin. The blond strands in his hair had already been quite a shock to him. Was Harry morphing into a Malfoy? And if he was, where did that leave Ron? Could he still be Harry's best friend?

"Ron," Harry's desperate voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Say something."

"I... erm." Ron trailed off again but the pleading look in Harry's eyes told him that he was still important to Harry and Ron wasn't ready to give up on his black-haired friend. "I'm still your best mate, right?" he said finally with a strong voice that didn't leave any room for arguments.

Slowly, Harry's worried face morphed into a big happy smile. "Of course you are!" he confirmed.

At that, Ron smiled, too. Harry's relieved look showed him that he was still needed.

After that, they continued to play their truth or dare game. Blaise was the first who chose dare instead of truth. Daphne was the one who dared him to dance for a minute without any music. Turned out that the boy was quite a good dancer.

Later, as the game turned to Daphne and the girl also chose dare, her task was to kiss her right neighbour, which was Blaise. Daphne gave Draco, who'd given her the dare, a hard glare before she turned to the dark-skinned boy and blushed violently. Blaise just grinned at her and wriggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

It was a very quick kiss and nobody would have thought much about it if Daphne hadn't kept casting stolen glances at Blaise every now and then since the kiss, which gave the others the impression that she had a crush on the, truthfully, good looking boy.

They all had a very good time and were laughing a lot. Harry was very happy. After they had cake, it was time to open the presents.

"They are really all for me?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, why not? You are the birthday boy today, aren't you?" Draco said and grinned.

Harry still shook his head in shock. He was not used to getting presents. His first real present was Hedwig, whom he got from Hagrid. Then last Christmas he got a Weasley jumper, Chocolate Frogs and the invisibility cloak from his father; and this summer he got Mr. Paw, and that was it. But this table in front of him held a lot more presents than he'd ever gotten in his entire life.

"That's from me," Ron said and took one of the smaller ones. "It's not much and Fred and George helped me a bit." The red-haired boy looked a bit ashamed, he was sure the other presents would be far more valuable than his meagre attempt at a gift.

Curiously, Harry opened the brown paper to reveal a box with various candies inside.

"These are joke sweets," Ron explained at Harry's questioning look. "They are from Zonko's in Hogsmeade. My brothers said they are the best from their collection. They want to bring out their own joke sweets soon. They experiment a lot at home."

"What do they do?" Harry wondered and picked up a brilliantly red one.

"The red ones make you sound like an animal for a few seconds. A lion, or an elephant, or a monkey."

Harry smiled. "Sounds interesting. And the blue ones?"

The redhead explained that the blue drops changed the colour of your skin, the green ones gave you funny hairstyles and the yellow ones changed your voice. The effect always lasted just a few seconds but Harry thought that it would be a lot of fun.

"Thank you!" he said and gave Ron a one-armed hug. "This is brilliant."

Hermione was next, and nobody was surprised that her present was a book. It was a book about magical creatures. Many of them Harry had never heard of. He thanked Hermione with a teary smile.

Blaise gave him a collection of classy looking quills and Theo's present held various coloured inks. From Daphne Harry got a journal with an emerald coloured leather cover and reinforced edges of gold.

Draco gifted him with dragonhide Quidditch gloves. From Severus Harry got a potions guide including a detailed description of how best to prepare you potion ingredients and from Lucius he got a complete drawing kit.

Harry couldn't hold back the tears of happiness any longer. Lovingly, his finger traced the different coloured pencils. Then he stood and wrapped his arms firmly around the blond-haired man. "Thank you so much, all of you," Harry whispered before he buried his face deeper into Lucius's robe.

Lucius hugged the boy back and held him for a while.

The three Slytherin boys looked at each other and they all silently agreed that Harry would be their friend in the future. Daphne and Hermione awed at the hugging scene and Ron look thoroughly puzzled. Nothing he had witnessed today fit what his mum told him about the Malfoys. Harry was without any doubt happy.

"There is still one present left," Lucius said and gently pushed Harry back. The green-eyed boy cast him a puzzled look. The table with the presents was empty now.

"Come!" the blond-haired man said in a mysterious voice. They walked down the few steps into the garden and moved towards the big tree under which Draco and Harry had sat many days before. When Lucius stopped, Harry looked at him questioningly.

"Draco? Would you be so kind?" Lucius asked with a grin.

Draco stepped forwards and then pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the tree and said "Finite Incantatem."

As the invisibility spell fell away, it revealed a big wooden house in the tree. It was nothing compared to the simple hut in Aunt Marge's garden. This was much bigger, much nicer, much cooler. This was simply much more than Harry would have dreamed of.

His still wet eyes were once again brimming with tears. He was speechless.

"Oh wow," Hermione said with gleaming eyes. "It's wonderful!"

"A house in a tree? What is that good for?" Theo wondered aloud. "I mean it's cool, but... well... it's really cool!"

Draco grinned and then walked over to Harry. "And? Is it as you imagined it?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Not even close to what I'd had in mind," he whispered and before Draco's smile fell from his face he added. "It's better. So much better. It's awesome!"

At this confession Draco's smile was back. "Severus helped with the design."

"I can't believe it. You did that just because I wanted it. A stupid childish fantasy." Harry looked at Draco, at Lucius and Severus.

Lucius smiled back and Severus just shrugged his shoulder.

Then Harry looked back at the house and declared: "I love it!"

"You still haven't seen it from the inside," Draco pointed out. "Come on!" With these words the blond-haired boy grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him towards the comfortable spiral staircase up onto the veranda of the tree house. The veranda was big enough to hold a table and two benches.

While Harry looked down towards the others still on the ground he waved and called to them: "What are you waiting for, come up!"

"Harry!" Draco shouted and the addressed boy turned around. Draco stood by a door and held it open. Curious, Harry walked over to him and looked inside. The room before him held a table with two benches but also a comfortable lounge with couches and armchairs. There were bookshelves and a small cupboard.

"This is for drinks. Severus called it a fridge or something like that. The house elves will keep it stocked and the cooling charm will keep the drinks cold," Draco explained. He had never heard of the fridge before, but he had to admit that if you wanted to be on your own, it was cool not to have to call an elf every few minutes.

"Oh wow, Harry. This is so awesome!" Hermione came to a halt next to the green-eyed boy. "You are really lucky, you know?"

Harry shrugged helplessly. "Well, yes, it seems so."

While the other kids still looked around the tree house, Harry went back down to hug Severus and Lucius.

"I take it that the house is to your liking?" Severus asked.

"Are you joking? It's perfect! Thank you so much. I can't say it often enough."

"Harry," Lucius suddenly said in a more serious voice and the boy stiffened immediately. "I also have a response from Sirius Black. I haven't read it, but I talked a bit with him and there are some things we should talk about when your friends are gone. Meet me in my study, okay?"

"Are you not staying?" Harry asked.

Lucius stroked through Harry's black mop of hair. "Enjoy your time with your friends. We will see each other later."

Puzzled, Harry looked at Severus. "Why is he working so much?"

"I guess he is already preparing your blood adoption, next week," Severus said, keeping silent of the fact that the hearing of the Dursleys was also approaching. "You know, to make you a real Malfoy."

Harry smiled at that. "I already feel like one. So many presents. I'm not used to that. I will get spoiled soon."

Severus laughed at that, knowing that Harry would never allow himself to get spoiled. He was far too selfless for that. "Don't worry. I will keep you grounded."

Harry leaned against Severus while he watched his friends still running around his new tree house.

"Hey, Harry, what are you doing down there? Come up!" Draco yelled.

"You better go!" Severus said. "Before they destroy your new little playroom."

"Little?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow. "It's more like a palace."

"Not in Lucius's and Draco's eyes. They wanted to add enlargement charms. It took some time until they understood that a tree house doesn't have to be a whole manor but just a room to hang out in alone or with friends," the man told Harry.

The boy chuckled. "I'm glad you could convince them not to use any enlargement charms. It's big enough as it is."

"Harry!" Draco yelled once more.

"Go," Severus said and Harry ran back to the wooden stairs and up into his own little kingdom.

The afternoon went by and the evening was approaching fast. They had a bonfire and made their dinner on wooden sticks; sausages, fish, bread, corn, jacket potatoes and other vegetables, and the house elves made different kinds of dips and salads.

Finally Harry's party came to an end. Hermione hugged the birthday boy and whispered in his ear: "I'm so glad you found a new family. It comes as a surprise that it is with the Malfoys, but I can see that you are happy. You earned this, never doubt that. You have a right to a family!"

"Thank you, 'Mione. It means a lot to me that you are still my friend even though we had a rocky start with the Malfoys," Harry whispered back.

The next one to say goodbye was Ron. "Mate, I don't know what you did to the Slytherins but the party was brilliant. Glad I could convince my mum to let me go."

Harry frowned at these words. "Why wouldn't your mum let you come?"

"Well... she doesn't like Malfoys. It's an old story, don't think about it. It doesn't matter where you live now, you are still the Harry Potter I know."

Harry bit his lips nervously and then asked carefully: "Will it still be okay for you if I become Harry Potter Malfoy?"

Ron's eyes widened at that. "What do you mean?"

"I will become a Malfoy, a real Malfoy. Next week. Lucius will adopt me by blood and magic. I may look a bit different afterwards. Some of the Malfoy genes will merge with mine."

"Is that the reason why you dyed your hair blond? To get used to it?" Ron wondered.

"Erm... well, no, not really. We, I mean Draco and I, just thought it would look cool on me." Harry shrugged and then shuddered. That hadn't been an easy day at all but on the pro side he brought Mr. Paw to life. But since then his magic ran riot. In hindsight, he was amazed that nothing had happened during his party.

"Well, it does look good. It's just..." Ron shrugged a shoulder, "... I guess I need to get used to it."

"So, are you okay to stay friends with me, even if I'm half Malfoy?"

Ron made a contemplative face. "Hm... let me think... - Yes, of course! I'm your best friend, am I not?"

Harry beamed. "You are!"

The three Slytherins - Blaise, Theo and Daphne - also said their goodbyes, congratulated Harry to his nice party and promised to stay in touch till the next school year.

"So?" Draco asked smugly. "How did you like your 'party of your life'?"

"It was brilliant. Thank you all so much!" Harry said and hugged Draco and Severus.

Oxoxo

A soft knock made Lucius look up. "Come in!" he called out and Harry entered the study.

"Hello, Harry. How was your party?"

"Best party ever!" Harry said with a smile and glided into the seat in front of Lucius's desk. Lucius returned the smile and then pulled a drawer open to give Harry Sirius Black's letter.

The boy removed the ribbon and opened the scroll.

" _Dear Harry,_

 _I'm surprised that you wrote me. I was sure you would blame me for your parents death, as all the others do. Maybe it was my fault. I shouldn't have suggested to make Peter the secret keeper._

 _Just know I would never have betrayed your parents. Your dad was like a brother to me. I wish I could see you, hold you in my arms and tell you everything that has happened, but I can't._

 _I was also surprised that Lucius brought your letter, but he explained a bit to me about why you are in his care now. I can't understand why Albus put you with Lily's sister. Everybody knows how much she hates magic since she isn't a witch like her sister._

 _I love you, Harry. I love you like I would my own son. Take care!_

 _Yours, Sirius._

 _PS: If you see a rat with a missing toe, get an adult. This rat may be an animagus."_

Lucius held out a handkerchief to Harry. The boy looked up surprised. He hadn't noticed the tears running down his cheeks. "Thanks," he whispered and then read through the letter a second time. His hands were shaking and his heart tightened painfully. This man was innocent? He went to jail although he hadn't done anything wrong? If he was such a good friend to his dad, he surely would have taken care of Harry. He would have raised him instead of the Dursleys.

"We have to get him out of there!" Harry said locking eyes with Lucius.

"It's not that easy, Harry."

"But he said he is innocent!" the boy yelled angrily.

Lucius jerked at Harry's outburst. Then he forced himself to calmly reply. "I know. Calm down!"

Harry shook his head in disbelief. He jumped out of his chair and shouted, "Calm down? How can I calm down? There is an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned. He doesn't belong in prison."

"I know," Lucius said in a loud and stern voice. "But he is not getting out of prison faster if you work yourself up. So calm down, or this conversation is over. I didn't call you into my study to get yelled at. I asked you to see me so we could talk about it."

Harry sat back down and forced himself to take a calming breath. He didn't know why he exploded like that. He just felt as if he got denied something very important to him. It made him angry. Luckily, this time his magic didn't go crazy. After a short moment of silence, Harry whispered: "Sorry."

"I know it's hard to imagine that someone innocent was sent to Azkaban. It shouldn't happen. That's why normally, the accused get a trial. And there are many ways to force the truth out of someone. As it turns out, Sirius Black never got a trial. That's an outrage. Especially as the man is of the noble and ancient house of Black. The ministry will fight and deny this fact as long as possible, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to bring out the truth and get Mr. Black the trial he should have gotten eleven years ago."

Harry was speechless. Obviously, Lucius was as angry about this as Harry himself. Slowly, a small smile tugged at the corners of Harry's lips. Lucius would help him. A sudden warmth spread through the boy's body. "Thank you!" he whispered. "Thank you for everything. You do so much for me."

Lucius scoffed. "I just do what every father would do, Harry. And when Mr. Black is innocent and we are the only ones knowing it, it is our responsibility to see that justice is served."

Harry frowned in confusion. 'What every father would do?' But Lucius did so much already. The birthday party, the tree house, all the help with the homework and his writing skills. He also helped with Harry's eyesight and with his emotional problems. Surely not every father would do so much. Uncle Vernon would do none of that. Maybe he would help Dudley, but never Harry.

Harry gulped. Once again he got reminded of what he was denied at the Dursleys. Everyday, he realized more shades of the abuse he went through.

"Harry!" Lucius's voice barely got through to the boy who was shaking again in anger and hurt. Harry also didn't realize that the whole room shook. The books on the shelves and quills on the table. Even the windows rattled as the magic poured uncontrolled out of the boy.

"Harry, please. Calm down!" Lucius asked once more, this time louder. He wasn't sure how to act. His instinct told him to hug the boy and help him calm down, but the other day when he had tried that, he had got thrown across the to room, without Harry even realising what he was doing.

After a moment of thinking, Lucius decided that no matter what would happen, he would show Harry that he was here for him. So he rounded the table and wrapped his arms around the trembling boy. "Shh... it's okay," he whispered into Harry's ear.

Lucius was prepared to land on his bum again, but the magical blow never came. Instead, the windows stopped their rattling and the other objects calmed down, too. Only Harry's body didn't stop shaking. The boy squirmed around and buried his face in Lucius's robes.

The man sighed and strengthened his hug. It was a big step for Harry to turn towards him for help to calm down. It hadn't happened since before the magical outbursts started. Most of the time it was Severus who got through to Harry, or Melinda if she was around. For Lucius it was a clear sign that Harry was recovering.

After a while Harry sagged in Lucius's arms and the boy whispered: "I'm sorry. It's happened again."

"Don't apologize. Not for that."

Harry tried to get out of the man's hug but Lucius didn't budge.

"It shouldn't happen at all," the boy protested, embarrassed. "What will happen if I go back to school? Everybody will see what a freak I am."

Lucius frowned at that. He loosened his arms to grab the boy and push him at arm length. "Stop saying that! You are no freak! And don't stress yourself about these incidents. They will go away. Besides, this time nobody got hurt and nothing was broken. It's getting better. You start responding to help and that's all that matters. Your friends will be able to help you, when you are back in school."

Harry sighed and hung his head.

"It's not a sign of weakness to accept help, but strength!" Lucius pointed out.

At that Harry laughed cheerlessly. "That's what Melinda is trying to tell me, too. But you can't fool me. There will be others who will point their finger and laugh at me, not understanding what I am going through."

"And are they important to you?" the man asked provocatively.

Harry frowned and didn't know how to reply.

"Or are your friends important? Don't forget one of your biggest rivals in school is your brother now. He will not laugh at you. And I'm sure Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger also will not make fun of you. So, who are you afraid of? If any Slytherins give you trouble, Severus will deal with them, and I'm sure Professor McGonagall will do the same with the Gryffindors. You have many people who are willing to help you, you just have to let them."

Sighing, Harry fell forwards to lean his head against Lucius's shoulder. "And I really didn't hurt you?" the boy asked softly.

"No, you didn't. Everything is okay."

oxoxox

Later that evening as both boys were sleeping peacefully, Severus and Lucius sat together as they used to do after a tiring day and the blond-haired man told the other about Harry's magical outburst.

"He is fighting tooth and nail against accepting what family is about. Melinda also told me that Harry has trouble accepting the fact that he has a right to be a part of this family. It's a kind of defence mechanism. If he doesn't let us in, it won't hurt so much if he were to lose us again. She thinks the adoption will give Harry more reassurance that this is not just a temporary solution," Severus said with a thoughtful expression.

Lucius shook his head in disbelief. "It's hard to understand what happened in Harry's childhood to make him so distrustful of anything good that happens in his life."

Severus nodded. "He will learn with time. It's our responsibility to give him all the stability he needs. One day he will not look at you with wide and disbelieving eyes when you tell him that you care about him."

Lucius cringed at that, because that was exactly what Harry was doing. Then he sighed and said with a half-smile: "At least his birthday party was a complete success. I'm glad that Mr. Weasley wasn't as stubborn as his mother. I don't want to imagine what harm it would have done to Harry if the boy had turned his back to him."

"It's obvious that their bond of friendship runs deeper than one would expect after just a year. Maybe their joint adventures tied them together. In school they are called the 'Golden Trio' by my Slytherins."

"I wish I could come to Hogwarts with you. It seems to never get boring."

"If you like to scold your sons on a daily basis."

Lucius frowned, "Surely they aren't the only ones getting into trouble."

Severus arched an eyebrow and gave his friend a pointed look. Then he held up his hand and counted with his fingers. "Well... let's see. With Harry, there was the troll incident, one evening they stumbled into the room with Fluffy, Hagrid's cerberus, the story around Hagrid's dragon and then of course the incident with the philosopher's stone and I'm sure I know only half of Harry's adventures. And Draco... he took a remembrall from Mr. Longbottom and incited Harry to fly on his broom in his first flying lesson without supervision, he also instigated a duel at midnight, spied a lot on the Golden Trio, used every change to rile up Harry and his friends and believed he could bend the rules to his liking just because I am his godfather. I assure you, no other students attract as much attention as these two."

Lucius chuckled at that. Draco should count himself lucky that he hadn't heard of all this before, or he wouldn't have sat properly for a whole week. Then he frowned. He had no idea how he would deal with such situations in the future. Since Harry came into his life and after the fiasco of the first week, he didn't know if he could ever spank Draco or Harry without a second thought. Well, he _knew_ he would not be able to spank Harry _ever_ again.

On the other hand he also needed to provide rules and consequences. Especially for Harry, it was necessary to give him the assurance and stability he so obviously needed; and Draco also needed to understand that his actions still had consequences.

Situations like these made his longing for his missing wife so much stronger. Would he be able to find her one day? Would she like Harry as much as he did? And what would happen if the Dark Lord returned? He was no fool, he knew that Lord Voldemort would be back sooner or later. The darkening of the mark on his arm was proof enough.

–

AN: Now I need your help. Harry's Adoption is approaching. We all know already that the ritual, that will take place, will change Harry's genes and therefore his appearance. But in what way? Let me know what you would like to change on Harry. Shall he get blond hair? Shall his hair grew longer? Or are there just minimal facial changes? Will he get taller? Will he get the best of all and morph into a eye cacher? Think about it and let me know about your ideas. There is just one thing I will not change, and that are Harry's eyes. They had to be green in my opinion. THX! =)


	12. About Family

Hi, my dear readers. Thank you, for all the reviews and suggestions about Harry's appearance after the adoption. There had been some interesting ones, that I may consider. This chapter wasn't an easy one, with the trial of the Dursleys, but I managed finally. Here, I also what to give a special Thanks to Dime, my beta reader, who helped me with my poor knowledge on English grammar.

I hope you enjoy reading the next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. ;-)

 _ **About Family**_

Harry sighed to himself and let his eyes wander over to his new drawing kit. He would prefer testing that to the potions essay he was currently working on. His party the day before had been great and he was very thankful to Lucius for it. That was the only reason why he didn't complain when the man asked Harry to finish his summer assignments after breakfast.

He was writing with one of his new quills right now. It really made a difference whether you wrote with an expensive one or a cheap one. His old standard school quills were nothing compared to these quills he got from Blaise. The new ink also made a difference. It didn't drip where it shouldn't and dried faster than the standard school ink and therefore didn't smear.

The boy smiled to himself. Life was definitely improving. He just feared he would morph into one of those snotty purebloods one day. He liked Theo, Blaise and Draco a lot, now that he got the chance to get to know them, but there were times when he noticed that they had grown up completely differently than Harry. The way they cast critical looks at muggleborns or looked down on muggles all high and mighty. Harry couldn't imagine being like that.

Sure, some muggles were vile but Harry also knew some muggles that were friendly and nice. Hermione's parents were the best example. Besides, there were also a lot of wizards and witches that weren't nice. Magic was the only difference between a muggle and a wizard. Pity that both sides had trouble accepting the other.

Harry sighed once more, wondering what the world would be like if muggles and wizards lived together in harmony, when a sudden knock startled him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" Harry turned around to look who was entering.

"Hello, Harry. How are you?" Melinda stood in the doorway with a friendly smile on her face.

"Erm... fine?" Harry answered confused. Had he forgotten an appointment?

Melinda chuckled. "No need to look so worried, I'm just here to wish you a belated 'Happy Birthday'!"

"Oh," the boy answered, relieved, and then smiled, too. "Thank you."

The woman entered and walked over to the boy. "I have something for you, here."

"You didn't need to get me anything," Harry replied but accepted the present.

"I know, but I wanted to get you something. See it as something that will help you with your new situation," Melinda said.

Harry's eyes went wide. Curious now, he looked down at the parcel, frowning.

"Open it!" Melinda encouraged him.

Harry nodded and placed the box on his lap. Carefully he removed the tape and peeled the wrapping paper out of the way. Then he lifted the top of the box and glanced inside. Sitting on a pillow of velvet was... "A camera?" the boy asked and looked back at Melinda.

"Yes. Now you can take photos of your new family. I'm sure Severus knows the potion that is needed to make the pictures move."

A camera that could take moving pictures? Like the ones in the album Hagrid had given him? He could continue his album! There were so many empty pages that he could fill now! Harry was speechless once again and sure enough his eyes filled with tears. He hated how fast they always came. He was a boy for Merlin's sake!

After some seconds he got a grip on himself again and thanked Melinda for the camera. Then he looked towards his bed and sure enough, Mr. Paw was no longer asleep but looking at him. He took the camera out of the box, looked through the viewfinder and pushed the release down. A clicking noise told Harry that he had successfully taken a photo.

Melinda watched the cat stretching on the bed. Then Mr. Paw hopped down and walked gracefully towards Harry's legs to rub himself against them. Harry placed the camera onto the desk and then picked up the cat, snuggling his cheek against the soft fur. Mr. Paw started to purr like any other cat would do. Nothing betrayed the fact that this cat wasn't a normal cat but a stuffed animal brought to life.

The cat never left Harry's room and as long as Harry didn't need Mr. Paw, he simply slept on Harry's bed. But when the cat was awake, it behaved and acted like any other cat. It was a fascinating piece of magic Harry had managed to do. A living consoler that was just active when there was need.

If Harry knew how to do this on purpose, he could make a lot of money with his invention. Then Melinda snorted to herself, knowing Harry would never be interested in money. The boy was so different from the other kids she had worked with. He may have similar problems but the way Harry was thinking was completely unique. She really hoped that the camera would help Harry settle in with his new home and family.

"Well, do you have any questions, or things you want talk about?" Melinda asked.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "Not really, or are you any good at potions? I'm writing my summer essay."

Melinda shook her head, laughing. "Oh no, you don't want me helping with that. I know I have told you that I met Severus on a potions conference, but I was just there looking at the new potions and not because I understand how they are made. I'm sorry."

Harry shrugged. "It's okay. I'm halfway done anyway. I just have a hard time concentrating. Lucius gifted me with a drawing kit and it keeps distracting me. I want to test it really badly."

"Hmm... I see. Do you already have an idea what you are going to draw?" Melinda asked.

"I want to draw Mr. Paw! He is so cute when he sleeps on my bed. But... well, he isn't sleeping any longer and I can't take him for my model right now. So I guess I will continue writing the essay."

"Very well. Don't hesitate to call me whenever you need my advice. I will be on my way for now. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks again for the camera," Harry said and wished Melinda a nice day, as well.

Oxoxo

Harry managed to finish his essay right before lunch. He had reread and double-checked it and couldn't find any mistakes. He hoped it was up to Severus's standard and if not... well, at least his penmanship had improved greatly.

He had handed his essay to Lucius as the man had asked Harry to do, but Lucius said he would looked at it in the afternoon. Harry nodded and left wondering once more why the man was always working so much. Shrugging to himself, Harry went to lunch with Lucius following soon after.

Draco already sat at the table looking bored out of his mind.

"Draco, sit straight!" Lucius said as he entered. The blond boy jumped in his seat and then corrected his posture, glaring at Harry who had the gall to snigger.

"Very funny, Potter," the blond-haired boy grumbled.

"Say 'Potter' as long as you can because soon you will have to call me 'Malfoy'!" Harry pointed out with a grin.

"Yeah, why I ever thought _that_ would be a good idea I don't know," Draco said grumpily.

Harry frowned at these words but then he grinned again and said confidently: "Because you love me and you always wanted a brother and I am the best brother you ever had! Besides, it's 'yes' and not 'yeah'."

Draco couldn't help but smile. That was something his friends would have said, too. " _Yes_ , you are probably right. You _are_ the best brother I ever had, but also the worst, because you are the _only_ brother I ever had."

"Hmm... so I'm also the biggest, the smallest, the funniest, the most horrible, the nicest... all that in one. With other words, I'm your favourite brother, yes?"

Now Draco chuckled. "Yes, most obviously!"

With a happy smile, Harry let himself plop into his seat and not a second later he got the same reprimand as Draco. Both boys chucked and Lucius had a hard time hiding his own smile. He was surprised at Harry's reaction to Draco's grumpiness. Just a week ago Harry wouldn't had said these words. He would have hung his head and taken Draco's words to heart, thinking he was unwanted.

The boy was improving. He was getting to know Lucius and Draco better and learning how to react appropriately in different situations. It warmed Lucius's heart.

Draco was also surprised at Harry's reaction. He loved to banter with his friends and seeing that Harry didn't take every word to heart any longer was a relief. Because half the time Draco didn't really mean what he was saying. He didn't want to hurt his soon-to-be-brother, but also didn't want to take extra care every time he opened his mouth in front of the far too sensible boy.

oxo

"Father?" Draco asked and stood before his dad could flee the room. "When are we going for a ride? You promised me we would ride out together before school starts again. Mr. Corner also missed you these last few weeks."

Lucius looked at his son in surprise.

"You used to go horse riding together with me. I… I miss that," Draco went on.

The man sighed and ran a hand over his mouth and chin. "I know," he finally admitted. "I miss it, too."

"Well then…," Draco grinned, "let's go! I'm sure these papers in you study can wait a few hours, couldn't they?"

"What about Harry?" Lucius asked and cast a glance at the other boy.

"What about me? I can survive on my own without supervision and if I need help I know how to contact Severus. Besides, I'm not really alone, I have house elves and pictures and even Mr. Paw. If you want to go riding, don't let me keep you from it," Harry said with a shrug.

Lucius had a thoughtful look on his face while he asked: "Don't you want to come with us?"

Harry snorted. "Me? On a horse? No, thank you. I would most definitely disgrace the Malfoy name. No, that's a thing between you two. Go and have fun!"

"But what are you going to do in the meanwhile?" the man wanted to know.

"I fought the whole morning to concentrate myself on the potions essay while my drawing kit kept distracting me. I guess I will give it a try now."

At this Lucius smiled. "Very well, if you are sure." Then he looked at Draco and said: "We will meet in fifteen minutes, don't dally."

"Me? Dallying? I will be the first in the entrance hall, you will see!" With these words Draco bolted up the stairs with a scolding Lucius shouting: "No running on the stairs!"

Harry chuckled and Lucius cast him a stern look. "I swear, one day I will jinx the stairs so that anyone running up or down will get pinched or some such."

oxoxoxo

Mr. Paw wasn't sleeping as long as Harry's concentration was on him, but he lay absolutely still since that was Harry's wish, and so the boy started to draw the cat. Every now and then, the cat would cock its head as if asking if it was doing okay.

"Okay, you can move again, if you wish. I'm done," Harry said with a smile. The cat yawned at these words and finally fell asleep. Harry chuckled and then went back to his drawing.

He was surprised how alive the cat looked in his picture. He'd never drawn before but even he had to admit that he was not so bad at it. He was very satisfied with his first work.

While Harry stared at his drawing for a while, an idea formed in his head. "Dobby!" Harry called and a soft pop announced the arrival of said house elf.

oxoxoxo

It was the evening before the trial of the Dursleys. Fear suddenly gripped Harry's heart when he thought about the following day. Lucius had told him that it was necessary for him to make a statement but that he shouldn't worry about it.

Well, that was a lot easier said than done. Whenever Harry thought about his relatives, he got the feeling of not getting enough air into his lungs. He was sure he would not be able to say a single word and he was worried that maybe nobody would believe him and people would accuse him of lying. Or that his magic would do something freakish just to show everybody that he really was what the Dursleys accused him of being - a freak.

Now Harry sat on his bed. Lucius had asked him to get to bed early because the trial would start at eight in the morning, but Harry couldn't sleep. He'd even emptied his stomach after dinner. Lucius didn't know about that and Harry was unsure if he should go and ask for help. The man had no idea what Harry was going through right now and Harry didn't want to be more trouble than he already was.

Harry looked down at Mr. Paw in his lap. The cat meowed and rubbed its head against Harry's petting hand.

"Harry?" the surprised voice of Lucius suddenly came from the door. "Why are you still awake?"

The boy jerked, startled, and looked at the man with fearful eyes.

Seeing the state the boy was in, Lucius's stern look morphed into a worried one. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked and came into the room and over to Harry's bed.

Harry watched the man's every move with an unsure expression in his face.

"How long have you been awake already?" Lucius asked softly, but Harry just shook his head.

Frowning, Lucius asked: "You don't know, or you haven't slept at all?"

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "I couldn't sleep."

The man sighed tiredly and cursed to himself. "This stupid trial."

Harry's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble. You... you don't have to-"

"STOP!" Lucius yelled and Harry jumped but fell silent immediately, lowering his eyes. Mr. Paw meowed pitifully.

Lucius took some calming breaths before he continued to speak. "I thought we were past this, Harry. Why are you apologizing to me? You have done nothing wrong. I came in here to help you, not to scold you, so why are you looking at me still worried I would kick you out any second? You are a Malfoy now and we look out for each other. We help and protect each other. Why can't you accept this?"

As Harry risked a short glance at the man, Lucius sadly shook his head. "I know you are worried about the trial. I can understand that. But I had hoped you would come to me if you are worried that much. Shall I call Melinda? Do you wish to speak with her?"

Harry bit his lip, unable to say anything. Lucius was angry, that much was obvious and he was hurt by Harry's behaviour. The boy had no idea how to handle the situation on top of his own worries. He had no idea if Melinda would be of any help. It was the middle of the night, surely she was asleep already, as he should be, too.

Once again the word 'freak' appeared before his mind's eye. Had the Dursleys really been the only ones realizing that he was abnormal? His summer with the Malfoys had been great but he didn't earn any of that. He was just causing trouble for these normal and nice people. They shouldn't try to help him. He was a nobody. What good was it to anybody to have him around?

So lost in thoughts Harry lost time and focus on the real world. He didn't notice Lucius getting up and vanishing and just moments later re-entering with Melinda in tow.

"Since when has he been like this?" the woman asked as she looked sadly at the boy who sat cross-legged on his bed staring unfocused at the opposite wall.

"I came in just a few minutes ago and he looked at me with this fearful look and I... well, I fear I lost it. I just couldn't understand how he... I don't know... I fear I said something wrong. I... it's so hard. Maybe I'm not the right-"

"Mr. Malfoy," Melinda interrupted the man's stammering. "We all know that Harry has trouble with the concept of family. He doesn't know what a family is about and this is all thanks to his relatives. Tomorrow he will be confronted with them, it is natural that he would fall back into old patterns. I understand how hard this must be on you, as well. You love him, and you want to be here for him and he just doesn't get it. It _is_ frustrating, I know."

"Then why does he have to give a statement in person? Why confront him with the Dursleys?" Lucius asked.

"Because this is the only way Harry can find closure with this part of his life," Melinda explained. "It will be important for him to see that what the Dursleys did was indeed wrong. He knows now the difference between their abusive treatment and your family life, he just doesn't know for sure what is right or wrong when it comes to him. There is a part within him that is still convinced that he didn't earn any kindness. I don't know if it will ever go completely away but I believe that seeing the outraged reactions of the people tomorrow will help him realize that the Dursleys had no right treating him that way."

Lucius hung his head but then looked up again. "So, what now?"

Melinda smiled sympathetically. "I could talk to him, but it would be much better for both of you if you just showed Harry that you are here, no matter what. Take him into your arms and wait. He will come back to you. Talk to him, but don't try to point out to him what he isn't ready to accept. He must come to terms with the concept of 'family' in his own time. And if he doesn't want to talk at all, then that's okay, too. Just be here for him. Tomorrow will be a very hard day for him. Hard, but important."

Lucius nodded and thanked the woman. Then he sat down on Harry's bed and pulled the boy into his arms, kissing the top of his head. "I love you!" he whispered, "and I'm sorry I scolded you earlier."

Harry stiffened in his arms at first, but at least he wasn't fighting him. After some time, though, the boy relaxed again and leaned into the arms around him. Time ticked by without any words spoken or any movements.

Finally, Harry whispered sleepily: "I know, I love you, too. It's just... everything is so... fucked up in my head."

Lucius nearly gasped in relief at hearing Harry's voice again. He didn't scold the boy for his choice of words as he normally would do, instead he just hugged Harry tighter and said: "I know. It will get better one day, I know it will!"

Harry sighed contentedly and then fell asleep in Lucius's arms.

Oxoxoxox

The next morning Harry felt horrible. He was sleep-deprived, light-headed, nervous, worried and unable to even think about eating anything. Severus forced two potions into the boy before they left for the trial. Nobody talked very much. Draco didn't know what happened last night, but one look at his brother-to-be was enough to let him know how Harry was feeling.

As they arrived in the ministry, there were a swarm of reporters already waiting for them. Draco took Harry's hand and squeezed it. Lucius had one of his arms around Harry's shoulder and Severus walked in front of the small family, trying to scare the fools out of their way with dark glares left and right.

It wasn't of much use, though. Harry saw flashes coming from all sites, questions were thrown at him, but his lips were closed. His gaze was fixed on the hem of Severus's billowing robes in front of him and his face gave nothing away of the turmoil of feelings inside him.

Oxo

The courtroom was huge. Harry sat with Draco, Lucius and Severus in the front row. Two empty chairs stood in the middle of the room, right in front of where the members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would sit, and of course the Minister of Magic himself.

"Wow, the whole Wizengamot," Draco whispered in awe.

"The what?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"The Wizengamot, wizarding Britain's high court of law. Your relatives are so done for. I wonder if they would throw muggles into Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" Harry asked once more, feeling very stupid for not knowing all this.

"The wizarding prison. It's a fortress on an island in the middle of the North Sea guarded by Dementors, foul creatures that feed upon human happiness."

Harry looked horrified. "Surely that's just for the most evil criminals."

Draco looked at Harry with a strange look. In his opinion child abusers were the most evil criminals, right after murderers. But before he could answer, a man spoke with a loud and clear voice and announced the arrival of the Minister of Magic. Everyone stood up as Minister Cornelius Fudge, followed by his Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, entered the room.

Before the door closed again, Albus Dumbledore also entered the room. He looked like he wanted to say something but as he took in the full room he sighed and went over to the Wizengamot and took a seat there.

Harry blinked in confusion. What was the headmaster doing here?

"He is Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot," Draco whispered into Harry's ear, "and a muggle lover."

As everyone finally sat down, Petunia and Vernon Dursleys were brought into the room. Harry gasped at the look of them and he grabbed Draco's hand tighter. His aunt looked distressed and his uncle enraged.

" _Those_ are your relatives?" Draco asked, shocked.

Harry just gave a tiny nod with his head. He was unable to say anything. Vernon was looking around, surely searching for him and as their eyes locked with each other's, Harry paled and shrank into himself. His breathing got heavy, his palms sweaty and pure fear grabbed his heart. Nothing Draco tried to whisper into his ear reached Harry anymore.

Lucius placed his arm around Harry's shoulders but said nothing. This was Harry's fight. He couldn't help Harry in it.

Finally, the trial started. Minister Fudge stood and greeted the attendant crowd and introduced the jury. After him, Amelia Bones stood and told them what crimes the two muggles were accused of.

She asked the Dursleys how they pleaded and Vernon growled angrily: "Not guilty! We were never asked if we wanted be burdened with another child! We could have kicked this ungrateful brat out of our house, but we didn't. We tried to make a good boy of him, but he continued to attack us with his unnatural freakishness. We never asked to have him, we never wanted him. You cannot accuse us for something we never wanted. Why didn't _you_ take him, if he was that important to you? Why burden _us_ with him? We never wanted anything to do with your crazy world!"

Harry blinked, confused. Well, he knew he hadn't been welcome at the Dursleys', but Uncle Vernon asked a valid question. Why did the wizarding world burden two muggles with him? He forgot his fear for a moment and felt a little twitch of compassion.

Albus Dumbledore was called up for questions after that.

"Is it right that you were the person who decided to give little Harry Potter to the Dursleys?"

"Yes, that is right," the headmaster admitted and loud murmurs broke out at these words. It took the Minister some time to quieten the crowd down again.

"Well, I guess I speak for everyone in this room when I ask: Why? Why give a little boy who just lost his parents to a muggle family that doesn't want another child?" Amelia Bones asked.

"Ah," Dumbledore said and held up a finger, "let's not forget what chaos the wizarding world was in at that time. How many Death Eaters were still on the loose. How many people, even within the Ministry, pretended to have been held under the imperius curse. It was nearly impossible to know whom you could trust. And dear Lily... dear lovely and selfless Lily Potter, she gave her life to protect her son. With her actions she created a protection of old magic for her son connected to her bloodline. Harry's only living relative at the time was one Petunia Dursley, nee Evans. It looked like the perfect solution to protect Harry from Voldemort's followers, far away from the chaotic post war time."

"But obviously it was the perfect solution just from one point of view. What gave you the impression that the Dursleys would like to take Harry Potter in?" Madam Bones continued to ask.

"I admit I had hoped they would have mercy with the poor boy. I knew Petunia's own child was nearly the same age and I assumed that, being a mother herself, her heart would reach out to Harry," Albus said and looked at Petunia with a sad expression.

The woman glared at him and hissed: "You placed him on our door step with just a blanket to protect him at the beginning of November. Yes, we took him in. We are no monsters! But you never even asked us! All the informations we got were a few words written in a letter, telling us we had to take him in and protect him."

"You never wrote me that you didn't want to look after Harry anymore. You know how owl post works," Dumbledore pointed out.

Petunia growled but didn't answer.

Madam Bones frowned. "Well, Mrs. Dursley, why didn't you tell us to pick Harry up again?"

As Petunia still didn't answer, Albus did it for her. "She didn't want to forgo the monthly financial support she got for keeping Harry."

This got new murmurs in the room. Vernon Dursley looked at his wife: "We got money for the freak?"

"Yes, and don't play dumb, you were aware of it!" Petunia hissed.

Harry stared at the two in shock. So they really got money for him? Harry had been so sure that there had been a mistake and they never received any money, no matter what Lucius had told him. The tiny twitch of compassion vanished again immediately. Disbelievingly, he shook his head.

The next person called in for questioning was Arabella Figg. Harry frowned and wondered why their muggle neighbour was of any importance.

"Mrs. Figg, you had been living near Harry Potter since the boy was brought to the Dursleys. What can you say about his life with his relatives?" Madame Bones asked.

"Oh, Harry has been a very well-behaved and helpful child. Very quiet, though. He was over a lot and helped me with my cats."

"Have there been any signs indicating that something was wrong with his home life?"

"Well, he sometimes had bruises, but no more or less than any normal growing young boy would have. He often fought with his cousin. It's just natural that he would have some minor injuries."

"So you never got suspicious of anything?"

"No. Not really."

"Did you witness any accidental magic performed by Mr. Potter?" This time it was the pink clad woman who asked the question, Mrs. Umbridge. Mrs. Figg answered in the negative.

"Why is she asking her that?" Harry whispered to Lucius. "She is a muggle."

"No, she is a squib, born to wizards but with no magic herself. It's the reverse to a muggleborn."

Harry's eyes widened. Had she been aware that he was a wizard? Why had she never mentioned anything?

"Did it never accure to you," Mrs. Umbridge went on, "that maybe his fights with his cousin or his troubles with his relatives had been caused by accidental magic?"

Mrs. Figg rubbed her hands nervously together. "Well, I don't know. Maybe."

"Have you ever told Mr. Potter that he was a wizard? Have you explained to him that he could do magic and that he would one day go to a school where he would learn how to do magic?" the pink lady asked.

"No. I was just keeping an eye on him to make sure no Death Eater got to him."

"But why not tell him what he was? Don't you think it would have been easier for the boy to know what was happening to him?"

"I was told not to say anything," Mrs. Figg said in a desperate voice.

"Oh?" Mrs. Umbridge blinked in surprise. "And by whom?"

Mrs. Figg glanced at Albus Dumbledore and finally said his name.

Once again the people began to talk and whisper to each other. Harry, though, didn't say anything. He sat completely still, shocked into silence. She knew. She knew and never said anything, just because Dumbledore told her not to. His eyes travelled over to his headmaster. The old man didn't look happy, but he also refused to look back at Harry. Harry couldn't help but feel a stab of betrayal. He continues to stare at Dumbledore but the man was wilfully ignoring him.

The next witness called up was Professor McGonagall. She was asked by Madam Bones how Harry's introduction into the wizarding world had been. As deputy headmaster it was her duty to visit the muggleborn and muggle raised students.

"It wasn't me, who introduced Harry into wizarding world," the woman admitted, "It was Hagrid."

"Who would send a half giant after a boy who grew up with muggles and knew nothing about our world?" Mrs. Umbridge asked, outraged.

"We had some trouble getting Harry's Hogwarts letter through and Hagrid offered to go. Albus also thought it would be easier for him to … well … persuade the Dursleys to let Harry go."

"That's a scandal!" Mrs. Umbridge shouted.

Obviously, the whole room agreed with her. Harry, though, couldn't find any fault with this decision. Hagrid _did_ convince his relatives. Besides, no matter how big he was, he was the most friendly person Harry knew. Hagrid was cool and this pink lady should better be careful of what she said about him.

"I wouldn't call it a scandal," Madam Bones interrupted. "Mr. Hagrid is part of Hogwarts's staff. It was an unusual decision, but obviously necessary. So Mr. Potter didn't receive his invitation to Hogwarts?"

"No, we tried different ways to send the letter, but the Dursleys tried to run away from their post."

"You flooded our garden with owls!" Vernon roared. "In the broad daylight, no less. Do you have any idea what our neighbours were saying?"

"The letters appeared everywhere, of course we ran. We thought our house had been cursed!" Petunia snapped.

"Is that so, Mrs. Dursley? Then why for heaven's sake didn't you just give Mr. Potter his letter?" Madam Bones asked in a dangerously low voice.

"We had enough freakishness already. In our opinion there was no need to let him learn more of it." Vernon replied.

The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement shook her head in disbelief. "I assume with 'freakishness' you mean incidents of 'accidental magic'? You, as the sister of a witch, must had been aware that it happens in the early childhood of every witch or wizard. Did it never occur to you that training Mr. Potter in this field would stop the accidental magic? Even telling him what had happened after such an incident would have helped a lot. With you not telling him about it, he had no chance to get it under control. So, where is the logic in your actions? You are not any random muggle, unaware of the magical world. You knew. You knew exactly what Mr. Potter was going through!"

Petunia harrumphed and crossed her arms, saying nothing else.

With a final hard glance at the woman, Madam Bones turned back to Professor McGonagall. "So, back to the topic, you met Mr. Potter the first time at school then?"

"Yes," McGonagall confirmed. "I met him with the other students right before their official entering of the Great Hall for their sorting."

"Was he in any way... noticeable?"

"No, not really. He may have looked a lot like his father, but his whole demeanour was nothing like James Potter. He was shy, curious and thoroughly fascinated by the Great Hall, like any other first year."

"I have been told that his sorting took quite some time. Any idea why?" Mrs. Umbridge asked this time.

"Mr. Potter's sorting took a bit longer than average, but not by much, and there have been other sortings in the history of Hogwarts that took far longer than his. I do not know what is said during the sorting. That is a secret between the sorting hat and the student."

"Well, I think it is time for our next witness. Thank you, Professor McGonagall." Madam Bones cut Mrs. Umbridge short to avoid any more private questions that had nothing to do with the situation at hand. The pink clad woman frowned but leaned back in her seat.

The next person called up for questioning was Madam Pomfrey. Everybody wondered why she never noticed the abuse.

"Harry was on the thin side but he didn't look unhealthy. He never gave me reason to suspect anything. Often, abused children are very shy, or jerk at sudden movements, but Harry showed none of these signs."

"What about the initial health check every first year has to do?" Mrs. Umbridge cut in once more.

"Professor Snape is the only one who insists on these check-ups. The other teachers only send their students in case of an emergency."

Mrs. Umbridge blinked, confused. "I never knew that it was just a Slytherin thing. It should be done in all houses."

"I agree," said Minister Fudge. "We should look more closely at the health of our youth."

Harry yawned silently. All this sitting and listening was tiring him a lot. His short night wasn't helping either.

As Lucius Malfoy was called up though, Harry sat straight again.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are currently caring for Mr. Potter?" Madam Bones asked.

"That's right."

"How did it come to that? Hasn't it been just a few weeks ago that Mr. Potter got into a fight with your son in Diagon Alley?"

"That is correct. When I asked Mr. Potter about the whereabouts of his relatives, he explained to me that he was on his own. I was shocked, but I promised the boy I would see him and his relatives the next day. As I visited the following day to tell his aunt about Mr. Potter's behaviour, she showed no interest, instead she told me I should punish Mr. Potter myself. The hostility towards our kind was visible and audible in all her words and actions.

"I took Mr. Potter with me. It was clear to me that this was no proper place to raise a wizarding child. I wasn't aware of the abuse at this point, but it was obvious to me that he was at least neglected. The incident in Diagon Alley just showed how much Mr. Potter was missing a stable environment to grow up in. As a remote relative I saw myself responsible to act. So, I took Mr. Potter in. "

"And how did your son react to this? Haven't young Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter been rivals in school?"

"Indeed we had a rocky start. But then I became aware that Mr. Potter has not been neglected by his relatives but heavily abused. One day Mr. Potter told me of some pain in his hand that made it hard for him to hold a quill for a longer period without feeling pain. I got concerned and called my healer, Mr. Greg Jason, and asked him to run a medical examination. What he found was..." Lucius shook his head, still in disbelief, "... it was a shock. He had incorrectly healed bones, scars all over his body, and he was also heavily malnourished.

"And that was just the physical abuse. The longer we lived together the more it became apparent that Mr. Potter has also been psychologically abused. He still has a hard time believing that he belongs to us now."

"You also plan to adopt him?"

"Yes. He is a part of our family now. I would never want to send him away again. He is very special and it will be an honour for us to call him a Malfoy."

At the fondly spoken words the audience aaw-ed in compassion. But then the pink lady had to open her mouth once again.

"Weren't you a Death Eater?" she asked with a strange glint in her eyes.

"I made a mistake at a young age, that is right, but I never killed anyone. The Dark Lord had some good ideas about the world at first. But his methods were brutal and wrong. As the Dark Lord became aware of my wavering loyalty he kidnapped my wife. My hand was forced."

"And Mr. Potter is aware of your past?"

"Yes. He is. There are no secrets between us. He has been lied to enough already."

"Well, thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Now, I would like to speak with Mr. Greg Jason," Amelia Bones announced and the man stepped up. "You are the healer of the Malfoys?"

"Yes. I have accompanied the Malfoy family since Narcissa Malfoy was pregnant."

"You also ran the medical scan on Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, indeed. I will never forget that day. As soon as I entered the room and saw the boy, I knew that there was something wrong, but even this knowledge has not been able to prepare me of the results of my scan. I do not exaggerate when I say Harry Potter would have been dead if it wasn't for his magic."

Gasped and murmured 'no's were heard from everywhere.

"How is it possible that Mr. Potter has been in the magical world for a whole year without anyone noticing anything wrong with him?" Minister Fudge asked in outrage.

„I can't answer you that, but it is my belief that Mr. Potter's magic was used from an early age to heal his body. With time, his magical levels grew so that he had some magic left for other things. I don't know how good Mr. Potter has been at school but I'm quite sure he has a lot more magic at his hands now, as it is no longer used to keep his body functional. He will need to learn anew how to control it."

As finally Melinda Mays got called up for questions, Harry's eyes grew wide. Worriedly, he turned to Lucius. „I don't want the whole wizarding world to know about my problems."

„Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure she won't say more than absolutely necessary."

„I don't want her saying anything. Why do they need to know that I am seeing a mind healer? Don't I have any say in what is revealed about me?"

Lucius smiled sympathetically. "I know this is hard, but it shows just how far the abuse you went through goes," Lucius explained. „And it's my belief that the people will be relieved to know that you get all the help necessary to get you healthy again."

Harry sighed unhappily and hung his head. So everybody would learn what a freak he was.

„Mrs. Mays, how long have you known Mr. Potter?"

„Just a little over two weeks. As Mr. Jason said, Mr. Potter has a lot of magic at his hands now and he had difficulties handling it all."

„What kind of difficulties?" asked Mrs. Umbridge immediately.

„I'm sorry, but I can't give you any details about my client. But I think it is not hard to guess that, as he learned from a young age that magic doesn't exist and he was called a freak and got punished for accidental magic, the loss of control of his magic has caused him some distress.

"Nearly his whole life Mr. Potter has been lied to by his own relatives. Some of these lies are deeply rooted and influence Mr. Potter's actions. They even lied about his parents; told him they had been drunkards and died in a car crash."

Once again the audience got loud and protested that it was a disgrace to call the Potters drunkards when they had fought so hard and had given their lives for Harry.

"But why does Mr. Potter need you? Is he unstable? Is he a danger?" Mrs. Umbridge asked and some people protested at the question.

"Mr. Potter is still the same he was a year ago. I'm just one more person he can talk to if need be," Melinda replied calmly.

"But you just told us he now has more magic at his hands and no control over it!" Mrs. Umbridge pointed out.

"This is just a matter of adapting and training and Mr. Potter will have everything under control in no time. He is no more a danger than any other child that is just beginning his education in magic."

Before the pink clad woman could ask anything more, Madame Bones thanked Melinda and dismissed her.

Then Draco was asked forward. Harry was startled and looked sideways at his brother, but obviously Draco had been forewarned, because he looked collected and confident.

Madame Bones smiled at Draco and asked: "I'm sure your life took a different turn since Mr. Potter came into your family. How do you feel about it? There are rumours that you and Mr. Potter didn't get along very well."

"That's right. Harry and I have had difficulties ever since we first met and I have to admit, at first, I wasn't thrilled to learn that he would be my brother. But then I realised that there was more to him than meets the eye. Now, I'm happy that he will become my real brother. I want to show him what brothers are good for and how a family should work."

The audience aaw-ed again and Draco sat back down.

"Well, we have heard now what people around Mr. Potter think about this situation, but I think it is high time to hear from Mr. Potter himself. Please, Mr. Potter, if you would," Minister Fudge asked and Harry gulped.

Nervousness made him numb. Draco squeezed his hand and Lucius patted his shoulder, but one look at the Dursleys, who cast murderous looks at him, took his breath away. He forced himself to take some calming breaths in fear his magic could lash out if he didn't relax.

"Mr. Potter. Can you describe to us what exactly your life with your relatives looked like?"

"I..." Harry started but his voice gave out again.

"It's okay," Madam Bones assured him, "take your time. We all know that it must be hard for you."

Harry bit his lip and nodded. He wanted to cry, he wanted to turn around and flee, but he couldn't. He had to be strong now. "Well, my room at my relatives was a... a cupboard. The cupboard under the stairs. My first Hogwarts letter was addressed to it." Harry ignored the gasps of the others or the outraged yells and went on. "I was really surprised that morning I got the first letter because nobody ever wrote to me. But I couldn't read it since my cousin Dudley took it away from me, believing I was reading mail that didn't belong to me. The letters kept coming but I still wasn't allowed to read them. So, Hagrid came and brought me one of the letters personally." Harry gave a weak smile, "He was brilliant."

"You weren't shocked by him?" asked Mrs. Umbridge and Harry frowned. What was this woman's problem?

"Maybe for a second, but he was nice and he brought me a birthday cake, my first birthday cake ever. He told me about wizards and Hogwarts and I admit I didn't believe him at first. But then my relatives protested and said that they didn't want me attending the school and then I knew it must be real."

"Dr. Jason said that without your magic you would have been dead. Why is that? Did they beat you?" Minister Fudge asked.

Harry's smile vanished immediately. Nervously he shuffled his feet. "My relatives have been afraid of my magic and if something really bad happened they p... punished me."

"What is ' _really bad'_?" Mrs. Umbridge wanted to know.

"Erm... one day... I... I dyed the hair of my teacher in primary school blue. Another day, as I was running from my cousin, I suddenly found myself on the roof of the school building. The police and the fire brigade had to come to get me down."

"So you got punished when you exposed your magic to others than your relatives?" Mrs. Umbridge pointed out finding no fault in that.

Harry's frown deepened. He really hated his woman. "Yes, mostly. Because when I did freakish things it would cast a bad light on them and people could start thinking that they were freaks, too. But I also got punished if I brought home better marks than my cousin, or when I didn't finish my chores before bedtime."

"What kind of chores were those?" Madam Bones asked softly.

"Erm... cooking dinner, washing the dishes during the week. On weekends also cooking breakfast, mowing the lawn or doing the laundry."

"And how did you get punished, if I may ask?" Madam Bones asked once more.

Harry liked her most. The pink lady was evil in his eyes and the Minister of Magic was very cold and closed off.

"Mostly I got locked up in my cupboard without food for one or more days," Harry said in a low voice. It didn't sound all that bad in his hears and maybe the others wouldn't think that it was a bad punishment.

"Mr. Jason told us you had wrongly healed bones. Do you remember how you broke them?"

"During playing. My cousin and his friends loved to play a game called 'Harry hunting'. When they got me, they would beat me up and when my clothes got ruined I got punished by my relatives, too."

"And if you got injured? Did they help you? Looked at your wounds, or brought you to a doctor?"

Harry gulped but shook his head. "No. If I was stupid enough to get myself injured then I had to live with the consequences."

Everybody in the room gasped. Some yelled at the Dursleys and protested wildly. Minister Fudge called for order, but it took some time before everybody calmed down again.

"Did your cousin ever get punished for hurting you?"

"No. If my cousin hurt me, then I must have done something to provoke it. So I just got what I deserved."

Madam Bones grimaced at that but her tone was still friendly as she asked: "And did you do anything to provoke it?"

Harry chewed his lip and hung his head.

"Well, did you?"

Harry didn't need to look up to know that the last question came from this Umbridge woman.

"In a way I did," Harry said and looked up again. He locked eyes with Mrs. Umbridge and told her: "I breathed. I existed. That was reason enough for him."

The pink lady smiled, satisfied, and sat back without saying anything more. Somehow this smile unsettled Harry more than her stupid questions.

"Has there been any moment while living with your relatives where you were happy?" This time the Minister asked the question.

"Erm... Well, I liked the gardening. It was relaxing when it wasn't too hot or too cold. I liked to see the flowers blossoming under my care. It gave me hope that I'm not completely useless, that I could do at least one thing right."

"Nothing else? What about birthdays, or Christmas?" Mr Fudge asked.

Harry shook his head. "For many years I didn't even know what day my birthday was. I found out per mere chance, because my cousin said one day that he was giving me a special birthday present. He gave me a broken figurine of a soldier and as soon as I had it in my hand he called for his dad and told him _I_ broke it..."

Harry trailed off and looked down. He took calming breaths as he felt his magic rise up. The beating he had gotten then was still fresh in his mind even though it had been years ago. It was one of the first beatings he could remember.

Pressing his eyes closed and concentrating on his breathing as Melinda had taught him, Harry managed to fight down the angry bursts of magic that threatened to break out. Carefully he looked up again.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I would be angry in your stead, too. You have been treated unfairly by people far below yourself." It was Mrs. Umbridge again.

Harry frowned at her once more, not understanding the woman in the least.

"I don't see myself as superior to them. All I ever wanted was to be treated as an equal."

"But you are Harry Potter," Mrs. Umbridge pointed out, "the defeater of the darkest lord of our time, you are famous. You have been famous nearly your whole life. Don't you think the wizarding world should have taken better care of you? Don't you think you deserve much better for ending the war for us?"

Harry really didn't know what this woman was trying to do. Irritated he shook his head not answering the strange question.

"Well, I guess we have heard-" Madam Bones started to cut the under-secretary off but Mrs. Umbridge cleared her throat loudly.

"Yes? Was there something else you wanted to say?"

"Indeed. I'm still wondering how all of this could have happened. For one, I wonder why it was up to Albus Dumbledore to find a home for Mr. Potter. Why wasn't he given to the child service in the ministry? The child service would have tested Mr. Potter's relatives before giving the precious and famous child into the care of simple muggles.

"The other thing I cannot understand, why was Mr. Potter sent thousands of letters when normally muggleborns and muggle raised wizards are visited by the deputy headmaster to get informed about Hogwarts? It seems to me that when it comes to Mr. Potter, nothing was done as it should have been, why is that?

"I don't want to say that the Dursleys are innocent, they are definitely not, but why life made so hard for them? We have protocols for smooth interactions with muggles and I want to point out that someone obviously ignored them when it came to Mr. Potter. None of this should have happened. Laying a child on someone's doorsteps at the beginning of November? How could anyone do this? How can that be okay?

"And sending a half-giant who never finished his education after a muggle family was also against protocol. Mr. Potter not only has been treated unfairly by his relatives, he has been cheated by wizards, too. I want the responsible person called to account."

With that Mrs. Umbridge stared at Albus Dumbledore.

Harry was shocked at her words. Pointed out in this way, Harry was forced to think about them. No matter how much he disliked this woman, her questions had been valid this time. Was she trying to win him over for something, Harry wondered. The ministry maybe?

"We will start an investigation into this, don't worry. I'm aware that there are many unanswered questions about the way Mr. Potter ended up in the care of people that didn't like him. But this trial is about the way said people treated an innocent child whose only failure was that he lost his parents far too early."

"But we were forced to take him!" Vernon Dursley protested once again.

"That may be so, but it wasn't Mr. Potter's fault. He was a one year old child. Why didn't you contact someone if you didn't want to be bothered with a second child? Even giving him to an orphanage would had been better that letting your anger out on the child."

"We were forced to keep him!" Vernon pointed out once more. "The letter said that our home was the only place where he could stay and that he would get killed if we didn't keep him. You say we have been unfair? We were generous to let him stay even though we didn't want him! We are no murderers and we are not heartless. We gave him a roof over his head and food. We kept him alive, didn't we? Nobody told us that we had to like him.

"And how would we have been able to with all the trouble he's caused us? The incidents with the hair and the school roof are just two examples. We had similar incidents weekly! We told him to stop, but he didn't. Nothing we did ever stopped him. And the incidents were not always harmless. Just look at all the things he did to our Dudley: turned his food into sand cakes, destroyed his favourite toys so that he couldn't sleep any more, or locked him into a terrarium in the zoo.

"These incidents were not funny in the least. Do you have any idea how hard it was for us to explain to the director of the zoo how my son got into the terrarium and why the snake was free instead, causing chaos everywhere and forcing the zoo to close until the monstrous snake was caught again?

"And guess who had to pay the compensations for these incidents? Guess who had to pay the fire brigade? That was us. None of you people came and set it right. Don't you have a department or something to deal with magical incidents in our world?

"It's so easy to point the finger at us and say we are to blame, but what about you? You also never cared for the brat. Who are you to judge us?"

Vernon Dursley was as red as a tomato from all the yelling. Harry stared at him in shock. He never took his time to consider the Dursley's point of view. Harry had to admit that his uncle brought up some valid points.

"I can just repeat myself, Mr. Dursley. There will be more investigations. You will not be the only ones facing justice. But whatever failure lay with us, it can not excuse your treatment of an innocent child. No court in the world, not even muggle ones, would excuse your crimes against Mr. Potter. You took away his basic human rights.

"It's alright to give a child a time out if he misbehaves, but locking someone away with no food for a whole day is a crime. It's also okay to give a child some chores every now and then, but not to treat them like a personal slave. What you took away from Mr. Potter can't be given back, you took his childhood away. You starved him to the point he didn't grow properly. You didn't treat his injuries. The emotional wounds you inflicted on Mr. Potter are immense.

"I understand your anger, but none of this was the boy's fault. This hearing is closed. I ask the wizengamot to vote now. Put up your wand if you think the Dursleys are innocent."

Harry had resumed his seat again and looked up at the members of the wizengamot. Just five people put their wands into the air. One of them was Albus Dumbledore.

Then the minister asked the wizengamot to raise their wands if they found the Dursleys guilty. Many wands went up this time and Harry stared in disbelief. He had been convinced that Vernon's speech would have changed the minds of most of them. His uncle had always known what words he needed to say to make people believe him. Why hadn't it work here, too?

Then Harry heard a loud sob. It was coming from his aunt. Harry looked at her feeling a strange detachment. Shouldn't he feel guilty for causing her such grief? Shouldn't he be horrified that his relatives would go to jail? Instead he felt nothing. No pity, no guilt, but also no happiness. No, he was not glad that they were found guilty, but not sad either.

Draco squeezed his hand and smiled broadly at him. Harry smiled faintly back but then he turned back to Madame Bones who explained that the Dursleys would get sent to a muggle jail for ten years.

Two muggle police officers that had been sitting amongst the audience stepped forwards and handcuffed the Dursleys informing them that they were under arrest. Vernon struggled and protested while Petunia sobbed pitifully. One of the officers nodded at Madam Bones and at the Minster of magic.

"Who are they?" Draco wondered.

"Muggle police men," Harry answered. "Like the aurors."

"Oh, and what did they do to your relatives to bind their arms? They didn't use ropes."

"No, they used handcuffs. It's faster and more... practical." Harry shuddered and shook his head to get rid of the pictures that suddenly assaulted his mind. He gulped and went on: "They are two metal rings with a short chain between them. You can click them on easily but need a key to open them again. My cousin got a toy pair of them for his seventh Birthday."

Harry didn't really want to remember what his cousin did with said handcuffs, but the memories came nonetheless. His cousin liked to used them on Harry. They broke after a few weeks, because they were just simple plastic. On the one hand, Harry was relieved when this happened, on the other hand he got heavily punished for breaking Dudley's toys.

Draco's eyes widened and he turned to Harry to ask more about those cuff things, but seeing the look on his brother's face he frowned and asked instead: "Bad memories?"

Harry jerked a nod and tried to smile, which came out more like a grimace.

"You are free of them now. You will never go back!" Draco said and squeezed his hand.

"Yeah," Harry said and finally managed a real smile. He watched his relatives being led out of the room and felt like he was looking at strangers.

Some wizards protested that they should get punished more severely, but Minister Fudge called the room into silence once more. As everybody calmed down, Madame Bones informed everyone that the investigation about the whole Harry Potter affair would start immediately. She asked Albus Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg to keep themselves available for further questions.

She also announced to Harry's shock that a member of the child service would interview Harry Potter to make sure that the adoption into the Malfoy family was indeed the best course of action for him. She said that it was time to stop ignoring the normal procedures when it came to Mr. Potter. And with that the hearing was closed.

Harry was horrified. What if the child service didn't agree with the adoption?

"Don't worry, Harry," Lucius whispered into his ear, "If the adoption is what you really want, the child service will not go against your wishes." He sounded very sure and it calmed Harry's nerves at least a little bit.

Harry turned to the man, searching his face for any traces of worry, but there were none. He sighed deeply and then nodded to himself. Okay, maybe this really was just a formality to ensure the wizarding world that the law and rules were no longer being ignored.

"How are you feeling?" Lucius asked and stroked a hand over Harry's head while they waited for the people to file out of the room.

Harry frowned to himself. "I'm not sure. There is much to think about. So many things I never considered."

"Aren't you angry that your relatives didn't get longer terms? Ten years is nothing," Draco interrupted.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. He wondered about the detached feeling he suddenly had in regards to his relatives. "I don't know. I'm not really feeling anything when it comes to them. It's as if they are strangers now and don't have anything to do with me. I'm sad that it has come this far, but, well... it was their own fault, wasn't it? They were awful people. Is it wrong to not feel sorry for them?"

"What? NO!" Draco shouted and some people turned around at that. Draco blushed and lowered his head. Then he went on in a much calmer voice. "If you felt sorry for them, I would strongly suggest to change your mind healer."

Harry punched Draco's shoulder, like he would do with Ron, and laughed.

Draco didn't know how to react. The punch didn't really hurt but he had never before received one that wasn't meant to hurt. He rubbed the slightly sore shoulder and slowly realised that it was an act of friendship. Was that something he had to get used to from now on, he wondered.

He wanted to punch Harry back but then a hand settled down on his shoulder. "Boys," Lucius warned as a flash of a camera got off, "Behave!"


End file.
